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Library Additions: Books Bought From Cold Tonnage Books

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2014

On my London Worldcon sojurn, I took a day to visit Andy Richards of Cold Tonnage Books, who I’ve been buying from and trading with for a quarter century. In addition to swapping old bookseller stories (and it was a shock to realize I’m considered one of the “old timers” by now), I went over his stock and picked out a few things, some to buy and some for Lame Excuse Books stock. Below are just the items for my own library.

de la Ree, Gerry. Fantasy Collectors Annual—1974. Gerry de la Ree, 1974. First edition hardback, #78 of 80 signed, hardbound copies, a Fine- copy with a tiny bit of bumping at head and heel, sans dust jacket, as issued. Odd miscellanea of SF/F/H-related items, including facsimiles of various SF author’s inscriptions, an unpublished letter from H. P. Lovecraft to Virgil Finlay, the text of an unpublished letter from Edgar Allen Poe (that may be a forgery), black and white artwork from Finlay, Stephen Fabian and Malhon Blaine (if that third name isn’t as well known as the first two, well, there’s a reason for that…), etc. De la Ree was an important publisher, book dealer and collector. In his introduction, he said he wanted to do one of these every year. According to Chalker/Owings, there was one more in 1975.

Dozois, Gardner. The Peacemaker. Pulphouse, 1991. First edition hardback, #97 of 100 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Part of the short story hardback line, which was in turn a simultaneous extension of their short story paperback line. I thought at the time (and still think) that this was a stupid idea, that $1.95 for a single short story (the price point for the paperback) was a bad idea, and that this was symptomatic of the wild overproduction that help killed Pulphouse off. But I have been picking up the short story hardback for writers I collect when I stumble across them cheaply.

Durbin, Frederic S. Dragonfly. Arkham House, 1999. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Just for a complete Arkham House collection. Joshi, Sixty Years of Arkham House, 191.

Ellison, Harlan. The Fantasies of Harlan Ellison. Gregg Press, 1979. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with boards just a tiny bit bowed and a few traces of dust soiling to page block edges, sans dust jacket, as issued. Inscribed by Ellison: “To Dane! Harlan Ellison”.

Hall, Hal W., editor. Science Fiction and Fantasy Reference Index, 1878-1985: Volume 1: Author Entries and Science Fiction and Fantasy Reference Index, 1878-1985: Volume 2: Subject Entries. Gale Research Company, 1987. First edition hardbacks, Very Good+ in decorated boards with bumping to extremities, slight wear at heel, and slight crease to second volume’s spine, sans dust jackets, as issued. Two large science fiction reference works. Massive two-volume reference index to non-fiction critical articles, reviews, books, etc. covering science fiction and fantasy. Hall was the long-time director of the Science Fiction collection at the Texas A&M Cushing Library, which has amassed a massive and impressive collection.

Heinlein, Robert A. (David Hartwell, editor). Destination Moon. Gregg Press, 1979. First edition hardback, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Includes the novella “Destination Moon,” “Shooting Destination Moon“, numerous reproduced newspaper clippings on the movie, photo stills from the movie, and a new introduction by David Hartwell, who edited the volume.

Langford, David. Irrational Numbers. Necronomicon Press, 1994. First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy. Got this inscribed to me by David at the London Worldcon.

Newman, Kim and Ian Freer. The First Empire Movie Almanac. Empire magazine, no date (but 1988). First edition trade paperback original, a Fine- copy with slight waviness to pages due to glue bunching (probably a binding flaw common to the run). Signed by Newman. Freely distributed subscriber extra from Empire magazine (the British film magazine, not the American SF writing magazine), a non-fiction miscellanea of lists and movie trivia. It’s also an example of why the Internet isn’t an acceptable substitute for book scouting, since I had no idea this existed until I came across it in the Cold Tonnage stacks…

“Sarban” (pseudonym for John William Wall). The Sound of His Horn. Peter Davies Ltd., 1952. First edition hardback, a Very Good copy with some wear at head and heel, front free endpaper missing, and an inked name on half-title page, in a Very Good- dust jacket with shallow staining to head and heel, dust soiling to white rear panel, and two small blue ink spots to front flap. Actually a fairly attractive copy of this alternate history set after the Nazis win World War II. Pringle, Modern Fantasy, 12. Locke, A Spectrum of Fantasy, page 189.

Just noticed my cheap all-in-one HP scanner/printer/etc. is starting to develop streaks. Might need to get a new one before too long…

Tags:Books, David Langford, Fantasy, Gardner Dozois, Gerry de la Ree, Gregg Press, H. P. Lovecraft, Hal Hall, Horror, Kim Newman, Pulphouse, Robert A. Heinlein, Science Fiction
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Horror, pics, Science Fiction | 1 Comment »

Library Additions: January 1—June 30, 2014

Monday, July 7th, 2014

Here’s all the books I added to my professional science fiction library over the first half of the year. All these are Fine first edition hardbacks in Fine dust jackets unless otherwise noted.

Allston, Aaron. Doc Sidhe. Baen, 1995. First edition paperback original, Very Good with multiple spine creases and spine lean. Signed and dated 5/25/01 by Allston. His Doc Savage homage. Found at a Half Price Book for half cover price a couple of months after he died.

(Anderson, Poul) Gardner Dozois and Greg Bear, editors. Multiverse: Exploring Poul Anderson’s Worlds. Subterranean Press, 2014. First edition hardback, one of 250 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine slipcase, new and unread. Poul Anderson tribute anthology, including stories using his characters and settings.

(Anderson, Poul) Gardner Dozois and Greg Bear, editors. Multiverse: Exploring Poul Anderson’s Worlds. Subterranean Press, 2014. One of 1,500 copies trade copies.

(Ballard, J. G.) Baxter, John. The Inner Man: The Life of J. G. Ballard. Weidenfield & Nicolson, 2011. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Critical biography.

(Bester, Alfred) Wendell, Carolyn. Alfred Bester: Starmont Reader Guide 6. Starmont House, 1982. First edition hardback, a Fine copy- copy with slight rubbing, sans dust jacket, as issued. Signed by Wendell.

Bloch, Robert. American Gothic. Simon and Schuster, 1974. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with a couple of large, faint light brownish stains on front free endpaper and one much smaller one on the rear free endpaper, in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed by Bloch, who actually mentions the stain: “Clean up this page/immediately! ——->/ Robert Bloch” (with the arrow pointing toward one of the stains). Replaces an unsigned ex-library copy in my collection. Price paid: $30.00.

Borst, Ronald V. Graven Images. Grove Press, 1992. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Oversized art book reprinting science fiction, fantasy and horror movie posters, production art, etc., from Borst’s own extensive collection. Signed by Ray Bradbury, who provided the introduction to the chapter on the 1930s. Amount paid: $26.24. This is actually not hard to find signed by Bradbury, but it usually goes for about twice that.

Bradbury, Ray. Bradbury Speaks: Too Soon from the Cave, Too Far From the Stars. William Morrow, 2005. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a tiny bit of spine-join haze rubbing. Signed by Bradbury: “MARK!/Ray/Bradbury”. Collection of essays.

(Bradbury, Ray). Nolan, William F. and Martin H. Greenberg, editors. The Bradbury Chronicles: Stores in Honor of Ray Bradbury. Roc, 1991. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a tiny bit of wrinkling at head. Signed by Bradbury. Anthology.

Burroughs, William S. Interzone. Viking, 1989. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy in a Fine- dust jacket with traces of wear and slight dust soiling along spine join. Shoaf, Collecting William S. Burroughs in Print, 60.

Card, Orson Scott. The Folk of the Fringe. Phantasia Press, 1988. First edition hardback, #140 of 400 signed numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine slipcase, new and unread. Supplements a trade copy. Bought for $10. (Original list price was $75.)

De Camp, L. Sprague and Fletcher Pratt. Wall of Serpents. Avalon, 1960. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with some bending at head and heel in a Very Good+ dust jacket, with crimping and rubbing at head and heel and slight dust staining to back cover. Signed by De Camp. Currey (1979), page 135. Supplements an unsigned copy. Bought for $17.50

(Clement, Hal) Hassler, Donald M. Hal Clement: Starmont Reader Guide 11. Starmont House, 1982. First edition hardback, a Fine copy- copy with slight rubbing, sans dust jacket, as issued. Signed by Hassler.

Coover, Robert. A Child Again. McSweeney’s, 2005. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket (as issued), still in shrinkwrap with cards attached. Bought at Half Price Books for $6.99.

(Delany, Samuel R.) Weedman, Jane Branham. Samuel R. Delany: Starmont Reader Guide 10. Starmont House, 1982. First edition hardback, a Fine copy- copy with slight rubbing, sans dust jacket, as issued. Signed by Delany: “Samuel R. Delany/Madison/2006”.

Del Rey, Lester. The World of Science Fiction, 1926-1976: The History of a Subculture. Garland, 1980. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight crimping at head and heel, sans dust jacket, as issued. A history of science fiction fandom by someone who witnessed it.

Denton, Brad. Sergeant Chip and Other Novellas. Subterranean Press, 2014. First edition hardback, one of 750 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread.

Diaz, Junot. The Brief Wonderful Life of Oscar Wao. Inscribed by the author: “To Lance/Oscar Wao.”

Ellison, Harlan. Flintlock. Charnel House, 2013 (actually 2014). First edition hardback, #55 of 274 signed and numbered copies, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. Unproduced screenplay for James Coburn’s Derek Flint character.

Farmer, Philip Jose. The Dark Heart of Time: A Tarzan Novel. Del Rey, 1999. First edition paperback original, a Fine copy, new and unread. Evidently this is pretty hard to find…

Farmer, Philip Jose. River of Eternity. Phantasia Press, 1983. First edition hardback, #81 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and slipcase, new and unread.

(Farmer, Philip Jose) Brizzi, Mary T. Philip Jose Farmer: Starmont Reader Guide 3. Starmont House, 1980. First edition hardback, a Fine copy- copy with slight rubbing, sans dust jacket, as issued.

Gaiman, Neil (illustrated by Eddie Campbell). The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains. Morrow, 2014. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. Illustrated story.

(Gilliam, Terry) McCabe, Bob. Terry Gilliam, The Brothers Grimm, and other cautionary tales of Hollywood. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with what appears to be “delamination” of otherwise shiny area at base of the spine, in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. Book on the making of the Terry Gilliam film The Brothers Grimm.

(Haldeman, Joe) Gordon, Joan. Joe Haldeman: Starmont Reader Guide 4. Starmont House, 1980. First edition hardback, a Fine copy- copy with slight rubbing, sans dust jacket, as issued. Signed by Haldeman (and also an unreadable signature that I take to be either Gordon’s or the cover artist).

Howard, Robert E. and Richard A. Lupoff. The Return of Skull Face Fax Collector’s Editions, 1977. Lupoff’s expansion of an unfinished Howard manuscript.

Griffith, Nicola. Hild. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2013.

(Heinlein, Robert A.) Thorner, J. Lincoln. A Guide Through the Worlds of Robert A. Heinlein. Gryphon Books, 1989. First edition trade paperback chapbook original, a Fine- copy with touches of wear along the spine. 48 pages critical guide, including a small bibliography of reference works in the back.

Lafferty, R. A. The Man Who Made Models: The Collected Short Fiction Volume 1 Centipede Press, 2014. First edition hardback, one of 300 copies signed by Michael Swanwick, John Pelan, and cover artist Jacob McMurray, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket.

Lansdale, Joe R. The Ape Man’s Brother. Subterranean Press, 2014.

Lansdale, Joe R. The Drive-In: The Bus Tour. Subterranean Press, 2005. First edition hardback, #223 of 350 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and slipcase, new and unread. Supplements a signed trade edition.

Lansdale, Joe R. Hot in December. Dark Regions Press, 2013 (though I don’t believe it was released until 2014). First edition hardback, one of 300 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread.

Le Guin, Ursula K. Four Different Poems. Longhouse, 2007. First edition chapbook original, a 3″x5″ card with an accordion foldout attached and a title band signed by Le Guin wrapped around, one of only 24 signed copies, a Fine copy. An odd item with a very small limitation. Bought for $20 off the Internet.

Leiber, Fritz. Gummitch and Friends. Donald M. Grant, 1992. First edition hardback, #237 of 1000 signed, numbered copies (though not signed by Leiber, who died before the book was finished), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and slipcase, new and unread. Contains both Leiber’s cat stories, as well as memorial appreciations of Leiber by Stephen King, Robert Bloch, etc. bound at the front of the volume. Also, for some reason, an unsigned limitation number plate for the Grant edition of Stephen King and Peter Straub’s The Black House is also laid in.

Leiber, Fritz. Our Lady of Darkness. Berkley Putnam, 1977. First edition hardback (no statement of printing on copyright page, as per Currey), a Near Fine copy with slight dust staining and wear to bottom boards and small white abrasion to bottom rear boards, in a Near Fine, price-clipped dust jacket. Inscribed by Leiber in purple ink: “For my Dear Friend/Doris Cornejo with/my very best/wishes. Enjoy!/Fritz Leiber/March 4, 1977”. At the bottom of the name Grace Cornejo has been written in red ink, possibly by a different hand. Supplements an unsigned copy (also, alas, with an imperfect dust jacket) in my library. Price paid: $33.74.

Ligotti, Thomas. The Spectral Link. Subterranean Press, 2014. First edition hardback, #333 of 400 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread.

Ligotti, Thomas. The Spectral Link. Subterranean Press, 2014. Trade edition.

Lovecraft, H.P. (S.T. Joshi and David E. Schultz, editors. O Fortunate Floridian: H.P. Lovecraft’s Letters to R. H. Barlow. University of Tampa Press, 2007. First edition hardback (stated), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread.

Lovecraft, H. P. Envelope Addressed to Robert Barlow, with Lovecraft’s return address on the back, in Lovecraft’s own handwriting. Postmarked December 4, 1931. Bought for $328 off eBay. More details here.

MacDonald, John D. The Girl, The Gold Watch, & Everything. Robert Hale, 1974. First hardback edition, a near Fine+ copy with a ex-ownership plate inside the front cover, in a Fine dust jacket. Pringle, Modern Fantasy 100 26. Locke, A Spectrum of Fantasy, page 146.

Matheson, Richard. Matheson on Matheson: A Conversation With Dennis Etchison. Bad Moon Books, 2013 (actually 2014). First edition hardback, #22 of 100 copies signed by Etchison and Richard Christian Matheson, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued.

Matheson, Richard. 7 Steps To Midnight. Tor Forge, 1993.

Moskowitz, Sam. The Immortal Storm. The Atlanta Science Fiction Organization Press, 1954. First hardback edition, a very good+ copy with slight rubbing to spine ends, slight bump at top rear board, and slight crimping at head and heel, in very good dust jacket with shallow chipping at head, heel and top front, and slight age-darkening to white areas. His acclaimed book on the early history of science fiction fandom. This is the first hardback edition, having been preceded by a mimeographed edition. Currey (1979), page 380. Chalker/Ownings (1991), page 51. Interestingly, Currey and Chalker/Ownings disagree on the print run, with Currey citing 1000 copies printed, but Chalker/Owings saying only 500. Bought for $36 off a major SF book dealer.

(Moskowitz, Sam) The Sam Moskowitz Collection of Science Fiction b/w Comic Books and Comic Art. Southbys, 1999. First edition oversized trade paperback original, Fine. Auction catalog for the Sam Moskowitz’s science fiction collection held June 29, 1999 (plus a collection of rare comics sold the next day).

Pohl, Frederik. The Early Pohl. Doubleday, 1976. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with remainder speckling at heel in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed by Pohl: “To Fred—/Cordially/Fred Pohl/(No relative!)/Fred Pohl/198-” Bought for $10.

(Pohl, Frederik) Clareson, Thomas D. Frederik Pohl: Starmont Reader Guide 39. Starmont House, 1987. First edition hardback, a Fine copy- copy with slight rubbing, sans dust jacket, as issued. Signed by Pohl.

Powers, Tim. The Anubis Gates. Centipede Press, 2014. First edition hardback thus, a Fine copy save two flaws (the slipcase keyhole cutout is about 1/4″ misaligned between the two halves, and it lacks the signature page) bound in decorated red and black velvet with a lenticular image embedded in the front cover, in a Fine slipcase. The thing is ginormous, resting in a 2-half red velvet slipcase which houses the book and an accordion portfolio of the color art plates in the book, and includes an appendix of deleted scenes from the original manuscript and a fold-out map of 1810 London.

Radner, Gilda and Alan Zweibel. Roseanne Roseannadanna’s Hey, Get Back to Work! Book. Long Shadow Books, 1983. First edition trade paperback original, a Near Fine copy with a few small sports to page block edges. Inscribed by Radner and Zweibel: “Thanks/a lot to/Tim/Gilda Radner” and “”To Tim-/You just brought back/a million great/memories when you/handed me this book./Al”

Bought in a lot with:

(Radner, Gilda) Zweibel, Alan. Bunny Bunny: Gilda Radner: A Sort of Love Story. Villard Books, 1994. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with a clipped price. Early Saturday Night Live writer’s memoir of working with Radner. Bought for $40.49 for the pair.

Resnick, Mike. Adventures. Signet, 1985. First edition paperback original (PBO), Near Fine with interior stamps.

Reynolds, Mack. Looking Backward From the Year 2000. Elmsfield Press, 1973. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Pringle, SF 100 70. Currey (1979), page 417.

Roberts, Keith. The Passing of the Dragons. Signet, 1977. First edition paperback original (PBO), Near Fine with light yellow line at head and traces of wear. Short story collection. Currey (1979), page 419. Short story collection. Bought from Half Price Books for 49¢.

Shea, Michael. The Mines of Behemoth. Baen Books, 1997. First edition paperback original, a Fine copy, new and unread. Signed by Shea. Price paid: $4.49.

Shepard, Lucius. The Jaguar Hunter. Kerosina, 1988. First edition hardback thus (contents differ from the Arkham House edition), #128 of 250 signed numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine slipcase, new and unread. Supplements a signed copy of the Arkham House first edition. Bought for $22.50. (Originally issued at £40.00.)

Shepard, Lucius. Life During Wartime. Bantam Books, 1987. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format, of the trade paperback original, a Fine- copy with the title and author written on the spine in ballpoint pen, with a proof of the cover laid in. Signed by Shepard. I have the UK first hardback edition, but I never picked up the TPO when it came out because I had already read most of the stories that make it up in Asimov’s…

Shepard, Lucius. The Scalehunter’s Beautiful Daughter. Mark V. Ziesing, 1988. First edition hardback, a #104 of 300 signed numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Supplements a signed trade copy. Bought for $10.

Shirley, John. Demons. Del Rey, 2002. Novel-length expansion of the earlier novella (which I also have). Bought for $7 at the Austin book show.

Silverberg, Robert. Thebes of the Hundred Gates. Axolotl Press/Pulphouse, 1991. First edition hardback, a #78 of 300 signed numbered hardbacks, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Supplements a signed trade copy. Bought for $10. Pulphouse wildly overpriced a number of titles, including this one, but $10 (down from the initial list price of $35) seems about right…

(Silverberg, Robert) Gardner Dozois and William Schafer, editors. The Book of Silverberg: Stories in Honor of Robert Silverberg. Subterranean Press, 2014. First edition hardback, #165 of 250 signed, numbered copies, signed by all contributors except the late Kage Baker, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Tribute anthology.

(Silverberg, Robert) Gardner Dozois and William Schafer, editors. The Book of Silverberg: Stories in Honor of Robert Silverberg. Subterranean Press, 2014. trade edition.

(Silverberg, Robert) Clareson, Thomas D. Robert Silverberg: Starmont Reader Guide 18. Starmont House, 1983. Second Printing hardback, a Fine copy- copy with slight rubbing, sans dust jacket, as issued. Signed by Silverberg.

Simmons, Dan. Prayers to Broken Stones. Dark Harvest, 1990. First edition hardback, #329 of 500 signed numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine slipcase, new and unread. Supplements a signed trade copy. Bought for $37.50. (Originally issued at $75.)

Smith, Edward E., PhD. The Skylark of Space. Buffalo Book Company, 1946. First edition hardback, a VG+ copy with slight bumping at head, heel and corners and faint dust staining at heel, in a VG- dust jacket missing a small 1/4″ triangular chip from center of dj spine, plus about 1/4″ of chipping loss at head and heel, and slight overall rubbing, otherwise intact with $3.00 price on flap. The very first of Doc Smith’s famous space operas. Currey (1979), page 457. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 78. One of two books done by the Buffalo Book Company (the other of which, John Taine’s The Time Stream, I picked up in December). Bought for $237 from Heritage Auctions.

Stephenson, Neal. In the Beginning was the Command Line. Avon Books, 1999. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy. Long essay on the history of computing, the Internet, and cyber culture.

Straub, Peter. Mrs. God. Donald M. Grant, 1990. First edition hardback, #179 of 600 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket (as issued) in a Fine slipcase, new and unread.

(Tiptree, Jr., James) Siegel, Mark. James Tiptree, Jr.: Starmont Reader Guide 22. Starmont House, 1986. First edition hardback, a Fine copy- copy with slight rubbing, sans dust jacket, as issued.

Vance Jack. Araminta Station. Tor, 1988. First U.S. trade hardback, a Fine- copy with pinhole cracks to front gutter in a Fine- dust jacket with slight dust soiling to rear cover. First book in the Caldwell Chronicles. Signed by Vance. Hewett, A79c.

Vance Jack. Ecce and Old Earth Tor, 1991. First trade hardback, a Fine copy in a Near Fine dust jacket with crinkling and wrinkles along extremities. Second book in the Caldwell Chronicles. Signed by Vance. Hewett, A84b.

Vance Jack. Throy. Tor, 1992. First trade hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Third book in the Caldwell Chronicles. Signed by Vance. Hewett, A85b. Price for all three Caldwell volumes: $52.49.

Vance Jack. The Five Gold Bands. Underwood/Miller, 1993. First hardback edition and first edition thus, originally published in pulp paperback as The Space Pirate, a Near Fine copy with small orangeish spots to all three page block edges, in a Fine dust jacket. Signed by Vance. Hewett, A2k. Price: $37.49.

Vane, Jack. Galactic Effectuator. Underwood/Miller, 1980. First edition hardback, one of 800 trade copies, a Fine- copy with slight spotting at head in a Fine dust jacket. Signed by Vance. Hewett, A63. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 432. Price: $26.24.

Vance, Jack, and Tony Russell Wayman. The Last Castle b/w World of the Sleeper. Ace Books, 1967. First edition paperback original (H-21 and 60¢ on cover, as per Currey and Hewett), a Very Good+ copy with long faint crease on the Russell side and slight overall wear. Signed by Vance. Hewett, A30. Currey (1979), page 499. Price: $8.99.

Vance, Jack (edited by Miguel Lugo). The Wit and Wisdom of Jack Vance. AuthorHouse, 2011. First edition trade paperback (POD) original, a Fine copy. Selection of excerpts from Vance’s works. Signed by Vance (though the signature (see below) is very shaky, as Vance was pretty much completely blind by the time this book came out). I was unaware of this before I saw the listing for it, and I can’t imagine that Vance signed terribly many. Price: $29.99.

Vance, Jack. Minding the Stars: The Early Jack Vance Volume Four. Subterranean Press, 2014. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread.

Vance, Jack. Son of the Tree. Underwood/Miller, 1983. First hardback edition, #183 of 200 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with just a tiny bit of wrinkling at head and heel. Hewett, A13g.

Vance Jack. Vandals of the Void. John C. Winston, 1953. First edition hardback, Very Good- with a two inch split to outer back spine join and dust soiling to page edges, lacking the dust jacket. Signed by Vance. Hewett, A3. Currey (1979), page 501. Price: $29.99.

(Wolfe, Gene) Borski, Robert. Solar Labyrinth: Exploring Gene Wolfe’s BOOK OF THE NEW SUN. iUniverse, 2004. First edition hardback (no additional printings listed, though I believe iUniverse is a POD outfit), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Critical guide to Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun. Supplements a trade paperback edition in my library. Bought for $20 off an Internet bookseller.

Wolheim, Elizabeth (Betsy), and Sheila Gilbert, editors. DAW 30th Anniversary Box Set (including 30th Anniversary DAW Science Fiction and 30th Anniversary DAW Fantasy). DAW, 2002. First edition hardbacks, Fine leatherbound copies with gilt endpapers, #312 of 350 sets so produced, in a Fine slipcase, sans dust jackets, as issued. (I have not been able to determine if the leather binding state is simultaneous with the trade editions or not.) Signed by editor Sheila E. Gilbert and contributors Michael Shea, Tad Williams, C.S. Friedman, Melanie Rawn, Mercedes Lackey, Larry Dixon, Kate Elliott, and Irene Radford. This set was originally offered at $125 (though copies can now be found on Amazon for considerably less). The sets were not, as far as I can tell, offered in a signed state; these were signed independently by the contributors. Price paid: $59.99.

Zelazny, Roger. A Rose for Ecclesiastes. Rupert Hart-Davis, 1969. First edition thus and first hardback edition, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with very slight spine fading. First hardback edition of Four For Tomorrow. Levack, 17b. Kovacs, V11c/V20. Zelazny’s first short story collection.

Tags:Books, Centipede Press, Fantasy, First Edition, Frederik Pohl, Fritz Leiber, Gardner Dozois, Garland Press, Gene Wolfe, Greg Bear, Horror, Jack Vance, Joe R. Lansdale, Lucius Shepard, Neil Gaiman, Phantasia Press, Philip Jose Farmer, Poul Anderson, Ray Bradbury, reference works, Richard Matheson, Robert A. Heinlein, Robert Silverberg, Sam Moskowitz, Science Fiction, signed, Subterranean Press, Ursula K. Le Guin
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Library Additions: Three Science Fiction Reference Works

Friday, June 13th, 2014

Additions to my non-fiction reference library continues apace. Here are three science fiction reference works I picked up recently:

Tags:Books, First Edition, Gene Wolfe, Lester Del Rey, reference works, Robert A. Heinlein, Science Fiction
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Library Additions: June 14—December 31, 2013

Monday, January 6th, 2014

It’s been another landmark year for adding books to my library of science fiction first editions. This post documents everything I bought after my big Zelazny acquisition on June 13, including some books that have been covered in posts since, and many that haven’t. (What I bought earlier in the year before the big Zelazny purchase can be found here.) All are first edition hardbacks, Fine copies in Fine dust jackets, unless otherwise noted.

Adams, Douglas. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Harmony Books, 1979. First U.S. edition.

(Adams, Douglas) Gaiman, Neil. Don’t Panic: Douglas Adams & The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Titan Books, 2003. First hardback edition and first edition thus (revised and updated), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Non-fiction reference work.

Aldiss, Brian. Moreau’s Other Island. Jonathan Cape, 1980. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Aldiss on the front free endpaper.

Aldiss, Brian. This World and Nearer Ones: Essays Exploring the Familiar. Weidenfield and Nicolson, 1979. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket.

(Aldiss, Brian) Aldiss, Margaret. Item Eighty-Three: Brian W. Aldiss: A Bibliography: 1954—1972. SF Horizons, (1973). Chapbook, Fine. Non-fiction.

Asimov, Isaac. Nemesis. Doubleday, 1989. First edition hardback, number 485 out of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine slipcase, sans dust jacket, as issued. This was a serendipitous find. I wasn’t looking for it (since I’m not generally a big fan of Asimov’s later work), but merely entered “signed limited edition” in Amazon’s books section just to see what I would find and this came up at $80. Given that it was originally issued at $125, and given that copies on Bookfinder start at $150, I thought it was a good price. Asimov isn’t actually a hard signature (especially compared to verified Philip K. Dick or Robert A. Heinlein signatures), but he has become fairly pricey one for his first editions.

Asimov, Isaac, edited by Stanley Asimov. Yours, Isaac Asimov. Doubleday, 1995. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with one tiny black remainder mark I missed, otherwise apparently new and unread, in a Fine dust jacket. Non-fiction collection of Asimov’s letters.

Ballard, J. G. Myths of the Near Future. Jonathan Cape, 1982.

Ballard, J. G. The Disaster Area. Jonathan Cape, 1967. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Near Fine dust jacket with edgewear and a few tiny spots of rubbing to dust jacket rear. Replaces a copy with a far more worn dust jacket. Bought for $100 at Half Price Books during a coupon sale.

Ballard, J. G. The Drought. Jonathan Cape, 1965. First hardback edition and first complete edition, a Near Fine+ copy, with spine of book itself slightly discolored and small sticker for London bookseller Foyles on inside cover, in a Fine dust jacket. Currey, page 22. Goddard and Pringle, J. G. Ballard: The First Twenty Years, item 59. Bought for $212.50, marked down from $425.

Ballingrud, Nathan, and Eileen Gunn. North American Monster Stories. Small Beer Press, 2013. Paperback chapbook original, Fine.

Banks, Iain. The Quarry. Little Brown, 2013.

Bear, Elizabeth. Book of Iron. Subterranean Press, 2013. Number 65 of 250 signed, numbered copies.

Bear, Elizabeth. Book of Iron. Subterranean Press, 2013. Trade edition.

Bear, Greg. Early Harvest. NESFA Press, 1988. First edition hardback, #173 of 250 signed, numbered copies (800 print run total), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and slipcase. Supplements a signed trade copy. Bought off the Internet for $37.50.

Beaumont, Charles. The Intruder. Centipede Press, 2013. First edition thus, one of 200 copies signed by editor Roger Anker, William F. Nolan, and J.K. Potter. Basis of the Roger Corman film starring William Shatner.

Beaumont, Charles and John Tormerlin. Run From the Hunter. Centipede Press, 2013. First edition thus and first edition under authors’ actual names, one of 200 copies signed by John Tomerlin and J.K. Potter.

Beyer, William Gray. Minions of the Moon. Gnome Press, 1950. First edition hardback, a Very Good+ copy with small spotting to front and rear boards and wear at top and bottom boards, in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with wear along spine and front panel join and slight edgewear elsewhere; a really nice example of the Edd Cartier dust jacket. The eighth Gnome Press book. Chalker/Ownings (1991), page 198. Kemp, The Anthem Series, page 197. Trying to collect the entire Gnome Press line…

Blaylock, James P. with Kim Stanley Robinson. Two Views of a Cave Painting b/w Escape From Kathmandu. Axolotl Press, 1986. First edition hardback, #43 of 300 signed, numbered hardback copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket.

Bleiler, Richard. Supernatural Fiction Writers. Charles Scribner’s Sons/Thomson/Gale, 2003. First edition hardbacks of the Second Edition (stated inside, not on the cover), a two volume set, Fine- copies with slight dust soiling at heel in decorated boards with slight haze rubbing, sans dust jacket, as issued. Non-fiction reference work. Bought for $40, including dealer discount, which I though was a pretty good price, since non-Ex-Library copies list in the multiple hundreds. Note that the first edition was edited by the late E. F. Bleiler, while this second edition is edited by his son (who I’ve sold many a book to over the years…)

(Blish, James) Stableford, Brian M. A Clash of Symbols: The Triumph of James Blish. Borgo Press, 1979. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket (somewhat uncommon for Borgo, who usually went for plasticized decorated boards for their hardbacks), #17 of 62 signed/numbered copies signed by Stableford. Bought for $28. Non-fiction critical work, part of the Milford series, which I pick up in hardback when I chance across them for authors I’m interested in.

Brackett, Leigh. The Sword of Rhiannon. Boardman, 1955. First hardback edition (“First published in Great Britain, 1955″, as per Currey), a Fine- copy with slight bend at head and heel and foxing to interior gutters, in a Very Good dust jacket with 1/4” of wear rubbing/chipping (dust jacket is present, but image has been worn away) at head, a similar, smaller amount of wear at heel, a shallow chip with associated wear at top rear, and crease along front cover spine join running the entire length of the jacket, and wear along extremities; despite all that, the rest of the jacket is quite bright and attractive. Currey, page 53. Cawthorn & Moorocock, Fantasy: The Hundred Best Books 75. A fairly uncommon book these days.

Bradbury, Ray. Collected Short Stories. Petersen Publishing Company (The Great Author Series), 2002. Presumed first edition hardback (no additional printings listed), a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, presumably as issued.

Bradbury, Ray. The Dragon. Footsteps Press, 1988. First edition chapbook, #72 of 300 signed, numbered copies, Fine. Has affixed wrappers with a transparent blue Mylar window (there were evidently also red and yellow window variants).

Bradbury, Ray. Driving Blind Avon Books, 1997. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed by Bradbury: “Marilyn! /Onward!/Ray Bradbury/Oct. 18, ’97”. Bought for $20 off eBay.

Bradbury, Ray. The Homecoming. Collins Design, 2006. First edition hardback in decorated boards, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Bradbury. Illustrated by Dave McKean. Short story done as a short illustrated book. Bought for $30.51 off eBay.

Bradbury, Ray. The Veldt. The Perfection Form Company, 1982. (Possible) First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy in stapled wraps, inscribed by Bradbury on the cover. Reading comprehension questions at the back.

Bradbury, Ray. With Cat for Comforter. Gibbs Smith Publisher, 1997. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Bradbury. Illustrated by Louise Reinoehl Max. Short poem turned into an illustrated children’s book. Replaces an unsigned copy in my library. Bought for $16.66 off eBay.

Bradley, Marion Zimmer. The Sword of Aldonis. Gregg Press, 1977. First hardback edition, Fine- with a trace of wear at tips, sans dust jacket, as issued. Darkover novel. Currey (1978), page 61.

Bradley, Marion Zimmer. The Heritage of Hastur. Gregg Press, 1977. First hardback edition, Fine- with a trace of wear at tips, sans dust jacket, as issued. Darkover novel. Currey (1978), page 62. Bought more as part of my long-term goal of collecting all the Gregg Press first editions…

Bramah, Earnest. The Moon of Much Gladness. Cassell & Company, 1932. First edition hardback (Berro A17), a Fine- copy with slight bends at head and heel in a VG+ dust jacket with a 1/8″ chip at rear head join, slight cracking at top edge of front cover, and dust soiling to rear, otherwise a fairly bright and attractive copy of a book seldom offered in dust jacket. Bought for $300 off the Internet from a major SF book dealer. (What appear to be tiny spots of white rubbing to the black dj are in fact scanner artifacts.)

Brundage, Margaret (edited by Stephen D. Korshak and J. David Spurlock). The Alluring Art of Margaret Brundage, Queen of Pulp Pin-Up Art. Vanguard Productions/Shasta Phoenix, 2013. First edition hardback, slipcased limited edition with 16 additional pages of art, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Brundage was the woman who did all those great “damsel in distress” covers for Weird Tales in the 1930s, and it’s great to finally have a book of her art.

Brunner, John. The Man Who Was Secrett and Other Stories. Ramble House/Dancing Tuatara Press, 2013. First edition POD hardback, Fine/Fine.

Budrys, Algis. Cerberus. Pulphouse, 1989. First edition hardback, #53 of 100 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Part of the “Pulphouse Convention Series.” Fourth book Pulphouse did, and the first one that wasn’t an issue of their namesake hardback magazine.

Campbell, Ramsey. Scared Stiff: Tales of Sex and Death. Scream Press, 1987. First edition hardback, #130 of 250 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued, in a Fine slipcase. Bought for $20. I’m sort of collecting a complete Scream Press collection, but it’s fairly low on my list of priorities…

Carriger, Gail (pen name of Tofa Borregaard). Heartless. Orbit, 2011. Paperback original, a Fine- copy. Parasol Protectorate #4.

Chabon, Michael. Fountain City: A Novel Wrecked. McSweeney’s, 2010. First edition paperback original, a small, slightly oblong format, roughly 5 1/4″ high, by 6 1/4″ long, a Fine- copy in Fine- fold over wrappers (which fold out into a sort of map picture), with a tiny, 1/16″ cut to top font cover. The opening chapters of a novel Chabon abandoned. Bought for $22.50, down from $45.

Clarke, Arthur C. Imperial Earth. Gollancz, 1975.

Clement, Hal (writing name of Harry C. Stubbs). Fossil. DAW, 1993. First edition paperback original, Fine- with a tiny bit of edgewear.

Clement, Hal. Small Changes. Doubleday, 1969. First edition hardback, a Near Fine+ copy with blindstamp on title page and crimping at head and heel, in a Near Fine- dust jacket with dust soiling to white background and a small closed tear and associated wrinkle to top front flap. Signed “”Hal Clement” (Harry C. Stubbs)”. Not overly common these days. Bought for $28.

Dick, Philip K. The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick Volume 4: Minority Report. Subterranean Press, 2013. First thus.

Dick, Philip K. A Handful of Darkness. Rich & Cowan, 1955. First edition hardback, Currey binding A (blue boards lettered in silver) in a first state dust jacket (no mention of World of Chance), an Ex-Library copy with most of the usual flaws, including protected dust jacket flaps taped to boards (and inner cardboard sleeve additionally taped) and stamp for Eeeling Science Fiction Postal Library on inner cover; dust jacket is completely intact, the only flaws being “D11/2” written in white on bottom spine just above publisher, and slight dust staining to white rear cover; call it a VG/NF Ex-Lib copy. Levack, 21a. Currey (1978), page 157. Dick’s first short story collection and first hardback book. (Hairline crack on left is a scanner artifact.)

(Dick, Philip K.) Peake, Anthony. A Life of Philip K. Dick: The Man Who Remembered the Future. Arcturus, 2013. Non-fiction.

Di Filippo, Paul. Time’s Black Lagoon. DH Press, 2006. Paperback original, a Fine, unread copy. Sequel to the movie The Creature From the Black Lagoon.

Dozois, Gardner and George R. R. Martin, editors. Songs of Love & Death. Gallery Books, 2010.

Egan, Greg. The Eternal Flame (Orthogonal Book 2). Night Shade Books, 2012.

Ellison, Harlan. All the Lies That Are My Life. Underwood/Miller, 1980. First edition hardback, one of 400 unsigned trade hardcover copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Chalker/Owings, page 432.

Ellison, Harlan. Harlan Ellison is Watching. Underwood/Miller, 1989. First edition hardback, #46 of 600 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and slipcase. Chalker/Owings, page 440.

Ellison, Harlan. Stalking the Nightmare. Phantasia Press, 1982. First edition hardback, #240 of 700 signed hardback copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and slipcase. Supplements a copy of the trade edition. Chalker/Owings, page 340.

Farmer, Philip Jose. Lord Tyger. Doubleday, 1970. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight crimping at head and heel and trace of foxing along gutters, in a Fine- dust jacket with slight darkening to spine and a few traces of dust soiling. Signed by Farmer. Farmer’s SF take on Tarzan. Currey (1979), page 153. Bought for $60.

Gaiman, Neil. Fortunately the Milk…. HarperCollins (UK), 2013. First edition hardback (the UK and U.S. edition were evidently simultaneous), slipcased limited edition (“with exclusive bookmark”) sold by UK bookstore chain Foyle’s signed by Gaiman and illustrator Chris Riddle, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued, still in shrinkwrap. I think this state came out about a month after the trade edition. Young adult novella. Bought for £19.99 plus shipping off eBay.

Gaiman, Neil, with David McKean. Mythological Creatures. The Royal Mail, 2009. First edition folded broadside, legal-paper sized printed cardstock, two-sided, with six stamps in attached Mylar pouches, Fine. Collectable stamp folder with six mini-stories by Gaiman, one for each mythological creature on the stamps, with Dave McKean art. An odd item I only recently became aware of, and one that may frustrate Gaiman completists a few years hence…

Gibson, William. Zero History. Putnum, 2010. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Signed by Gibson. Bought for $12 (marked down from $20) at a Half Price Books during a coupon sale.

Haldeman, Joe. A Separate War and Other Stories. Ace, 2006.

Harrison, Harry. Skyfall. Faber & Faber, 1976. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed and dated (“82”) by Harrison. Bought for $20.

Heinlein, Robert A. The Number of the Beast. New English Library, 1980. First hardback edition, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Reportedly Heinlein’s worst novel, but if you’re collecting the whole set…

Heinlein, Robert A. The Puppet Masters. Doubleday, 1951. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight foxing to endpapers and tiny touches of wear at heel in a in a Near Fine- dust jacket with extremely shallow surface chipping at head and slight fading of purple coloring on spine. A very nice copy of one of Heinlein’s most important early novels. Currey (1978), page 233. Pringle, SF 100 4.

(Heinlein, Robert A.) Patterson, William H. Robert A. Heinlein in Dialogue With His Century Volume 1: Learning Curve: 1907-1948. Tor, 2010. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Non-fiction biography.

Hill, Joe. Locke & Key 3: Crown of Shadows. Subterranean Press, 2013. #31 of 250 signed, numbered copies, in slipcase. Graphic novel.

Howard, Robert E. Cormac MacArt Baen, 1995. First edition paperback original, Fine- with a tiny bit of edgewear, foxing inside covers, and a phantom crease along rear cover. Mostly reprints Howard stories from Tigers of the Sea, but adds a new Cormac MacArt story by David Drake.

Howard, Robert E. Kull Baen, 1995. First edition paperback original thus (“First Complete Edition”), a Fine copy.

Howard, Robert E. Kull: Exile of Atlantis. Subterranean Press, 2013. Hardback first edition thus, #305 of 1,500 copies signed by artist Justin Sweet, a Fine copy in a Fine dustjacket and slipcase.

Howard, Robert E. The Sower of Thunder. Donald M. Grant, 1975. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by illustrator Roy G. Krenkel. Currey (1978), page 252.

Howard, Robert E. (edited by Robert M. Price). Nameless Cults: The Cthulhu Mythos Fiction of Robert E. Howard. Chaosium, 2001. Trade paperback original, Fine. Includes four Howard story fragments finished by others.

Hubin, Allen J. Crime Fiction, 1749-1980: A Comprehensive Bibliography with 1981-1985 Supplement to Crime Fiction, 1749-1980: A Comprehensive Bibliography. Garland, 1984/1988. First edition hardbacks, Near Fine copies with dust staining at head and traces of wear at points and heel, sans dust jacket, as issued. Bought from Half Price Books for $5 for the set (marked down from an original price of $60). I’m a sucker for comprehensive bibliographies…

(Jeter, K. W. and Ferret, as Dr. Adder and Mink Mole). Alligator Alley. Morrigan Books, 1989. First edition hardback, copy #104 of 210 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and slipcase, as well as a cassette tape of material related to the novel. Does not include the T-shirt that was sold with some of the slipcased copies. Supplements my trade edition. Jeter told me he actually had very little to do with the novel…

Jones, Sergent Morgan, and Damien Lewis. The Embassy House. Threshold Editions, 2013. Non-fiction on Benghazi embassy attack. Withdrawn by the publisher under political pressure.

Jones, Stephen, Editor. Weird Shadows Over Innsmouth. Fedogan & Breamer, 2005. Cthulhu Mythos anthology.

Jones, Stephen, Editor. Weirder Shadows Over Innsmouth. Fedogan & Breamer, 2013. Cthulhu Mythos anthology.

Klaw, Rick, editor. Rayguns Over Texas. Fandom Association of Central Texas, 2013. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy, new and unread, signed by 13 of the contributors. Anthology of SF stories from Texas writers published for the 2013 Worldcon in San Antonio. I have a story in here, “Novel Properties of Certain Complex Alkaloids,” that’s like a Greg Egan story by way of H. P. Lovecraft and Timothy Leary. Introduction by Bruce Sterling. This copy signed by myself, editor Rick Klaw, cover artist Rocky Kelly, Don Webb, Chris Brown, Matthew Bay, Stina Leicht, Nicky Drayden, Rhonda Eudaly, Derek Austin Johnson, Marshall Maresca, Sanford Allen, and Josh Roundtree. I also have an additional copy inscribed to me by several of the contributors in my contributor copy library.

(Koontz, Dean R.) Kotker, Joan G. Dean Koontz: A Critical Companion. Greenwood Press, 1996 (stated; probably more recent). Reprint hardback, Fine, sans dust jacket, as issued. Non-fiction.

Lake, Jay. Dogs in the Moonlight. Prime Books, 2004. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a bit of wear at the tips. Signed by Lake. Missed this when it came out, mainly because Prime was still part of Wildside. Bought for $24 off the Internet.

Lake, Jay. Endurance. Tor, 2011. Signed by Lake. Bought for 20% off cover at the San Antonio Worldcon.

Lansdale, Joe R. Bleeding Shadows. Subterranean, 2013. Short story collection.

Lansdale, Kasey, editor. Impossible Monsters. Subterranean Press, 2013.

Leiber, Fritz. The Moon is Green and Other Tales. Armchair Fiction, 2013. First edition trade paperback original (POD), a Fine copy, new and unread.

(Leiber, Fritz) Morgan, Chris. Fritz Leiber: a bibliography, 1934—1979. Morgenstern, 1979. Chapbook original, one of 1000 copies, a Near Fine+ copy with spots of age darkening to cover.

Leinster, Murray and Charles L. Fontenay. Planet of Dread b/w Twice Upon a Time. Armchair Fiction, 2010. First edition trade paperback original (POD), a Fine copy, new and unread. Honestly, I just picked this up for the cool, retro giant spider cover.

Lem, Stainslaw. A Perfect Vacuum. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1979. First English language edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with small closed tear at bottom front and a few touches of wear. Reviews of imaginary books. Replaces an Ex-Library copy in my library.

Lethem, Jonathan. Chronic City. Doubleday, 2009.

Littell, Jonathan. The Kindly Ones. Harper, 2009. First U.S. edition of a book original published in French as Les Bienveillantes, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a few touches of wear at edges. In 1989 Littell published a 3rd-generation cyberpunk PBO called Bad Voltage, then slipped from public view until he published Les Bienveillantes, a novel about the Holocaust, in France in 2006 (he’s a dual U.S. French citizen), which won the prestigious Prix Goncourt literary award.

(Lovecraft, H.P.) Lockhart, Ross E., editor. The Book of Cthulhu II. Night Shade Press, 2012. Trade paperback original. Anthology.

Martin, George R. R. and John J. Miller. Wild Cards Volume VII: Dead Man’s Hand. Bantam Spectra, 19990. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with a trace of edgewear.

(Martin, George R. R.) Samuelson, Todd, Editor. Deeper Than Swords: Celebrating the Work of George R. R. Martin. Texas A&M University Cushing memorial Library and Archives, 2013. Oversized trade paperback, a Fine copy. Illustrated critical companion to Martin’s work, published as part of an event at the library with Martin on March 22, 2013.

Matheson, Richard. The Memoirs of Wild Bill Hickock. Jove, 1996. Paperback original, VG with creasing.

Matheson, Richard. The Shrinking Man. Gregg Press, 1979. First Gregg Press edition, Fine, sans dust jacket, as issued.

Mieville, China. London’s Overthrow. The Westbourne Press, 2012. First edition trade paperback original, Fine, new and unread. Non-fiction. Appears to be a political rant with pictures.

McDevitt, Jack. Echo. Ace, 2010. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a tiny bit of wrinkling at top edge.

Moorcock, Michael. Sailor on the Seas of Fate. Quartet Books, 1976. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with a chip out of the corner of the front free endpaper, in a Fine dust jacket. Currey, page 372.

Moore, C.L. Judgment Night. Gnome Press, 1952. First edition hardback, a Near Fine+ copy with slight crimping at head and heel, mild foxing to inner gutters, and a few tiny spots of wear to bottom boards, in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with 1/4″ closed tear at heel, slight wrinkling at rear head, and a touch of edgewear. A truly superb, bright example of the dust jacket. Collection of five longer stories. Currey (1978), Page 377. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 199. Anatomy of Wonder 4, 3-130. Another notable book from the golden age of the genre small press. Bought for $65 off eBay.

Picacio, John. John Picacio 2014 Calendar. Lone Boy, 2013. First edition, Fine, signed by the artist, with Kickstarter specials, including six oversized loteria cards, a sketcbook, and a signed pencil.

Pohl, Frederik, with Jack Williamson. The Saga of Cuckoo. Nelson Doubleday (SFBC), 1983. First edition thus and first hardback (a book club omnibus edition of Farthest Star and A World Around a Star, both previously published only in paperback), code “N34” on page 433 (as per ISFDB), a Fine- copy with a tiny bit of crimping at head and heel, in a Fine dust jacket. Signed by both Pohl and Williamson. Bought for $22.50 off eBay.

Powers, Tim/James P. Blaylock. The Way Down the Hill/The Pink of Fading Neon. Axoltl Press, 1986. First Edition hardback, #178 of 300 hardback copies by both authors and introducers Ed Bryant and Charles De Lint, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Bought for $30 plus shipping from Heritage Auctions. One of those books I wasn’t sure whether I owned or not, since I had the other Axolotl Press Powers and Blaylock books…

Rainey, Stephen Mark. Song of Cthulhu. Chaosium, 2001. Trade paperback original, Fine. Anthology.

Reynolds, Alastair. Dr. Who: Harvest of Time. BBC Books, 2013. Signed by Reynolds at the 2013 San Antonio Worldcon.

Roberts, Adam (as A. R. R. R. Roberts). The Soddit, or Let’s Cash In Again. Gollancz, 2003. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Signed by Roberts. Parody of The Hobbit.

Robinson, Kim Stanley. 2312. Orbit, 2012. First UK edition (I think the U.S. precedes by two days), a Fine- copy with slight wrinkling to top of dust jacket.

Schweitzer, Darrell. Cthulhu’s Reign. DAW, 2010. paperback original, Fine. Anthology.

Sennholz, Mary. On Freedom and Free Enterprise. Von Nostrand, 1956. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with slight dust-staining to head and crimping at head and heel in a very Good+ dust jacket with 1/4″ tears at head and heel. Collection of free market essays, published in honor of the 50th anniversary of Ludvig von Mises’ receiving his doctorate. Bought for $5 at Half Price Books.

Shaver, Richard S. The Shaver Mystery, Book One. Armchair Fiction, 2011. First edition trade paperback original, Fine, new.

Shaver, Richard S. The Shaver Mystery, Book Two. Armchair Fiction, 2011. First edition trade paperback original, Fine, new.

Shaver, Richard S. The Shaver Mystery, Book Three. Armchair Fiction, 2012. First edition trade paperback original, Fine, new.

Shaver, Richard S. The Shaver Mystery, Book Four. Armchair Fiction, 2013. First edition trade paperback original, Fine, new. The four volumes collect stories and ancillary material from the “Shaver Mystery,” Shaver’s weird, strangely compelling conspiracy theory/alternate reality in which a hateful race of “deros” (“detrimental robots”) lived inside he earth, beaming mind-control rays at surface dwellers (and occasionally kidnapping them for torture, food, or sport). Shaver’s elaborate, unhinged vision brought a vast legion of cranks out of the shadows and onto the subscriber ranks of Amazing, whose editor Ray Palmer started publishing Shaver’s stories in the 1940s, which was to have a considerable impact on SF fandom. I doubt much of this has seen print since it’s original appearance in Amazing, or in Palmer’s subsequent The Hidden World. If you’re a connoisseur of crank literature, Shaver is up there with the whackiest.

Shea, Michael. Assault on Sunrise. Tor, 2013. Sequel to The Extra.

Shea, Michael. The Incomplete Nifft. Baen, 2000. First edition paperback original thus, an omnibus edition of Nifft the Lean and The Mines of Behemoth, a NF copy, with a crease on the bottom back cover.

Silverberg, Robert. Capricorn Games. Random House, 1976. Signed by Silverberg. Currey (1979), page 436.

Silverberg, Robert. The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg Volume 8: Hot Times in Magma City: 1990-1995. Subterranean Press, 2013. Fine, sands dust jacket, as issued.

(Simak, Clifford D.) Becker, Muriel R. Clifford D. Simak: a primary and secondary bibliography. G. K. Hall, 1980. First edition hardback, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Non-fiction. I do wish the books were separated from the short fiction listings…

Smith, Clark Ashton. Lost Worlds. Arkham House, 1944. First edition hardback, a Near Fine+ copy with slight crimping at head and heel, bump to top front corner, usual age darkening to pages, and a trace of foxing to gutters, in a Near Fine dust jacket with age darkening to light-colored portion of spine, short closed tear and associated 1/2″ wrinkle crease at head, a tiny bit of rubbing at heel, and age darkening around edges and crease folds. Smith’s second prose collection and the seventh Arkham House book published. Currey (1978), page 453. Locke, Spectrum of Fantasy One, page 200. Bleiler, Guide to Supernatural Fiction, 1485. Tymn, 4-202. Joshi, Sixty Years of Arkham House 7. Derleth, 30 Years of Arkham House, 7. Jaffery (1982), 7. Nielsen, 7. Bought for $172 off the Internet.

Smith, Edward E., Ph.D. Skylark Three. Fantasy Press, 1948. First edition hardback, one of 500 subscriber copies with a signature page inscribed by Smith bound in: “To Hugh F. Henry—/Three in a row — Hot dog!/And thanks a million for/the compliment./Edward E. Smith, Ph.D.” (Doc Smith had marvelously clear handwriting), a Fine- copy with a tiny bit of crimping at head and heel and faint foxing to gutters, in a Near Fine dust jacket with slight rubbing to top 1/2″ of front, slight edgewear at head, and slight dust soiling to rear cover. E. E. “Doc” Smith is someone I only pick up as a target of opportunity, but I couldn’t pass up a chance to pick up a very attractive example of one of the Fantasy Press subscriber copies for one of their most popular writers for approximately $150 after sale discount.

Smith, George O. The Brain Machine. Garland Press, 1975. First hardback edition, Fine, sans dust jacket, as issued. Originally a paperback original under the title The Fourth “R”. Currey (1979), page 458. Garland, like Gregg Press, usually did interesting hardback reprints.

Smith, George O. Hellflower. Abelard Press, 1953. First hardback edition, a Fine copy in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with slight spine fade to red portions and tiny traces of wear, otherwise a complete, bright and attractive dust jacket. Currey (1979), page 458.

Stephenson, Neal. Some Remarks. Atlantic Books, 2012. First UK edition. Non-fiction.

Sturgeon, Theodore. A Touch of Sturgeon. Simon & Schuster (UK), 1987. Fine-/Fine- with sight crimping at head.

Swainston, Steph. The Modern World. Inscribed by the author: “S. Swainston/12.05.07/’All things from eternity are of like forms/And come round in a circle.’ — Marcus Aurelius”. With photograph of the author laid in. Bought for $24. I should really get around to reading The Year of Our War some day…

Swanwick, Michael. Moon Dogs. NESFA Press, 2000. First edition hardback, one of 175 signed slipcased copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Supplements an inscribed trade copy.

Swanwick, Michael. Tumbling. Dragonstairs Press, 2013. First edition micro-chapbook original, 3″ x 2 3/4″ inches, #10 of 50 signed, numbered copies, Fine, new and unread.

Taine, John. The Time Stream. Buffalo Book Company, 1946. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with foxing to inside covers and a few faint pinpoint spots on boards, in a VG- dust jacket with uneven loss to top edge, mostly 1/16″ but occasionally as much as 1/4″. According to Chalker/Owings (1991), page 78, only 500 copies were ever bound, and half of those were lost in a rainstorm. Currey (1979), page 29. Bleiler Checklist, 1978, page 191. Locke, Spectrum of Fantasy One, page 211. 333, page 63. An important early SF specialty book.

Tucker, Wilson. Ice and Iron. Doubleday, 1974. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with edgewear at head and heel, with review slip laid in. Inscribed by Tucker: “For Dave, at Nashville,/Wilson Bob Tucker/May 19, 1979”. Tucker was famous both as a writer and as a noted fan. Bought for $20.

Turner, Gary, and Marty Halpern. The Silver Griffith. Golden Gryphon, 2003. First edition hardback, #34 of 100 numbered copies signed by all the contributors, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, in slipcase.

Utley, Steven. Silurian Tales — Volume 1: The 400-Million-Year-Itch. Ticonderoga, 2012.

Utley, Steven. Silurian Tales — Volume 2: Invisible Kingdoms. Ticonderoga, 2012.

Vance, Jack. Araminta Station. Underwood Miller, 1987. First edition hardback, #443 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine slipcase. First book of the Caldwell Chronicles. Precedes both the NEL and Tor editions by six months. Hewett, A79. Chalker/Owings (1991), pages 437-438. Bought for $120.

Vance, Jack (as John Holbrook Vance). The Deadly Isles. Bobbs-Merrill, 1969. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with a tiny bit of crimping at head and heel in a Fine- dust jacket with a few bare traces of dust soiling and a tiny bit of rubbing at extremities. Overall a beautiful copy of this Vance mystery. Currey, p. 497. Hewett, A33.

Vance, Jack. Gold and Iron. Underwood/Miller, 1982. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a slight wrinkle at rear heel. Previously published in paperback as Slaves of the Klau. Hewett, A9e.

Vance, Jack. Lyonesse: Suldrun’s Garden. Underwood/Miller, 1983. First hardback edition, #78 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. (Note: Unlike the signed, numbered edition of Lyonesse: The Green Pearl, this was not issued in a slipcase.) Hewett, A70b. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 436. Supplements my copy of the unsigned library edition in decorated boards issued without a dust jacket. Bought for $100.

Vinge, Joan D. World’s End. Bluejay Books, 1984. First edition hardback, #127 of 750 signed numbered copies in slipcase, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. This copy has been additionally inscribed by Vinge: “To Marcia Adams/-with all my best wishes-!/Joan D. Vinge/2005.” There was a PBS cooking show host and cook book author by that name who died in 2011; not sure if that’s who it’s inscribed to or not. I do wonder how many of these slipcased hardcovers Bluejay Books did. I have their slipcased edition of K. W. Jeter’s Dr. Adder, and I know they did a few others, but there does not appear to be a list online. I’ll write Jim Frenkel and ask…

Waldrop, Howard. The Horse of a Different Color. Small Beer Press, 2013. Inscribed to me to by the author.

Webb, Don. The War With The Belatrin/A Velvet of Vamphyres. Wildside, 2012. Trade paperback original, a Fine copy, inscribed by Webb.

Webb, Don & Gary Lovisi. Do the Weird Crime, Do The Weird Time/Gargoyle Nights. Wildside, 2012. Trade paperback original, a Fine copy, inscribed by Webb.

Weinbaum, Stanley G. Dawn of Flame. Ruppert Printing Service (for The Milwaukee Fictioneers), 1936. One of only 245 copies of the Currey B state (with the Lawrence A. Keating introduction), a Near Fine+ copy with very faint spine creasing and slight gray staining to bottom page block (or possibly where the red page block staining has worn away), sans dust jacket, as issued. Currey, page 510. Chalker/Owings, page 279. Bleiler, Checklist (1978), page 204. Locke, Spectrum of Fantasy (I), page 224. Bought at the San Antonio Worldcon for $1,200 (negotiated down from $1,500) from Erle Melvin Korshak. And if I’m remembering correctly, it was on consignment from Sam Moskowitz’s widow through Robert Weinberg to Korshak.

Wellman, Manly Wade. The Ghost Battalion. Ives Washburn, 1958. First edition hardback, most likely a repaired Ex-Library copy, Very Good with tape ghosts on boards, front free endpaper excised and another attached in it’s place, slight wear at heel, dust soiling at head, and slight crimping at head and heel, in a Near Fine dust jacket with edgewear and about 1/16″ inch of color loss at heel, and possible spine fading (hard to tell, since it’s a different color than the front and back covers). Second book in the Iron Scouts Civil War YA trilogy. Bought for $18 off eBay.

Wellman, Manly Wade. What Dreams May Come. Doubleday, 1983. First Edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, with signature plate signed by Wellman attached to front free endpaper. Features supernatural detective John Thundstone. Replaces an Ex-Library copy in my collection. Bought for $20 from a major SF book dealer.

Wellman, Manly Wade. Worse Things Waiting. Carcosa, 1973. First edition hardback, Trade Edition issue, a Fine- copy with a couple of pinpricks of wear, in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed to fellow horror writer Dennis Etchison: “Better Things Waiting/for/Dennis Etchison/Manly Wade Wellman/Dec 7, 1979”. Being a Wellman collector, I could hardly pass up an associational copy of this, his best and most important collection, inscribed to another top horror writer. (This is the second Wellman-inscribed association copy I own along with Third String Center inscribed to Wellman’s own brother, western writer Paul I. Wellman.) Currey (1979), page 515. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 87. Bleiler, Guide to Supernatural Fiction, 1672. Jones/Newman, Horror 100, 70. Bought for $100.

Wells, H. G. (edited by Robert Philmus and David y. Hughes). Early Writings in Science and Science Fiction by H. G. Wells. University of California Press, 1975. Presumed first edition hardback (no additional printings listed), a Fine- copy with slight crimping at head and heel and trace of foxing to inside front covers, in a VG- dust jacket with a 1/2″ square chip missing from bottom front cover and a 3/8″ chunk tapering to a point over 3″ missing at top rear. Not in Currey. Reginald, 1975-1991, 36697. Dictionary of Literary Biography: Volume 178: British Fantasy and Science-Fiction Writers Before World War I, page 242. Not a great dust jacket, but it was only $8, and copies online are somewhat pricey…

Wilson, Gahan. Everybody’s Favorite Duck. Mysterious Press, 1988.

Wolfe, Gene. Home Fires. Tor, 2010. Already read it in ARC.

Wolfe, Gene. A Wolfe Family Album. United Mythologies Press, 1991. First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy. Signed by Gene Wolfe. Chapbook of mostly Wolfe family photos, evidently issued with the hardback edition of Letters Home (which I’ve owned for some time, but which didn’t come with the chapbooks when I bought it).

Wolfe, Gene (Mooney, J. E. and Bill Fawcett, editors. Shadows of the New Sun: Stories in Honor of Gene Wolfe. Tor, 2013. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. A tribute anthology.

Zelazny, Roger. Home is the Hangman. SFBC, 1996. First separate hardback edition. Kovacs, VI-7-a.

Zelazny, Roger. Knight of Shadows. Ultramarine Press, 1989. First limited hardback edition, #20 of 40 signed, numbered copies, bound in quarter leather, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Kovacs, 27-d-i. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 612. Proof that being a collector drives you slightly insane. (“Slightly?” asks the peanut gallery.) Ultramarine Press would take the sheets of the trade edition, then add a signed limitation page and leather binding. Honestly, I’m less than impressed with both their business model and most of the books produced, and I’m not too wild about post-first edition limiteds, but this edition seems nicer than many, 40 is a pretty low limitation for a Zelazny limited, and since I have such an extensive Zelazny collection, I decided to pony up for it. Bought for $240.

Zelazny, Roger, and Thomas T. Thomas. Flare. Baen, 1992. First edition paperback original, Fine.

(Zelazny, Roger) Kovacs, Christopher, compiler. The Ides of Octember: A Pictorial Bibliography of Roger Zelazny. NESFA Press/Camelot Books, 2011. First hardback edition, letter M of 21 lettered copies with a Zelazny signature sheet (taken from unused Ultramarine press Zelazny books), a Fine copy in three-quarters bound leather, in a Fine patterned traycase with the pictorial cover from the trade paperback edition, sans dust jacket, as issued. An elaborate aftermarket edition of this Zelazny incorporating unbound NESFA sheets obtained by the compiler. I paid $191 for it, considerably less than the $500 list price it was offered at.

(Zelazny, Roger) Yoke, Karl. Roger Zelazny/Andre Norton: Proponents of Individualism State library of Ohio, 1979. First edition chapbook original, Near Fine+ with some age toning. Non-fiction.

Tags:Borgo Press, Brian Aldiss, Charles Beaumont, China Mieville, Cthulhu, Douglas Adams, Elizabeth Bear, Ernest Bramah, Gene Wolfe, George R. R. Martin, Gnome Press, Gregg Press, Hal Clement, Harlan Ellison, Iain M. Banks, Isaac Asimov, J. G. Ballard, Jack Vance, Joe R. Lansdale, Manly Wade Wellman, Margaret Brundage, Michael Chabon, Neil Gaiman, Philip Jose Farmer, Philip K. Dick, Ray Bradbury, Richard Bleiler, Robert A. Heinlein, Robert E. Howard, Roger Zelazny, Shaver Mystery
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Horror, pics, Science Fiction | No Comments »

Three Robert A. Heinlein First Editions

Wednesday, December 18th, 2013

My efforts to collect all of Robert A. Heinlein in first edition continue apace. Here are two Heinlein first editions, as well as an important related critical work.

Tags:biography, Books, First Edition, Robert A. Heinlein, Science Fiction
Posted in Books, pics, Science Fiction | No Comments »

Library Additions: A Major Collection of Roger Zelazny Books

Monday, July 15th, 2013

Bob Pylant is a major Roger Zelazny collector in Austin to whom I had sold the odd item to (like the NESFA Press Collected Zelazny volumes) over the years. Unfortunately, he suffered a car accident and had to sell some of his collection. So I went over to his house on June 13, made an offer on some choice items, and we reached an agreement.

Which is how I spent $5,000 on Roger Zelazny books in a single day. (An amount that would go up to $5,400 when I won another item he had listed on eBay.) Several were upgrades of signed first edition hardbacks where I had either unsigned copies or Ex-Library copies.

Bibliography
For bibliographic details and first edition verification, I cite the following reference books:

Currey, L.W. Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors: A Bibliography of First Printings of Their Fiction. G. K. Hall, 1978.

Chalker, Jack & Owings, Mark. The Science Fantasy Publishers: A Critical and Bibliographic History. Mirage Press, 1991 (“Third Edition Revised and Enlarged”).

Kovacs, Christopher S. The Ides of Octember: A Pictorial Bibliography of Roger Zelazny. NESFA Press, 2010. (Note: Kovacs lists proofs, ARCs, etc. when known, so many hardback firsts are designated with the a “b” rather than an “a”.)

Levack, Daniel J. Amber Dreams: A Roger Zelazny Bibliography. Underwood/Miller, 1983.

The Zelazny Books

Zelazny, Roger. And the Darkness is Harsh. Pretentious Press, 1994. First edition chapbook, one of only 85 copies (of which 70 were given away for free) signed by Zelazny, with photo of the young Zelazny pasted in at front, and one sheet chapbook catalog laid in, a Fine copy. Contains the title story, “Mr. Fuller’s Revolt,” and the poem “Diet,” all taken from his high school literary magazine, where they were published when he was 16. Virtually impossible to find these days. Kovacs, VIII-1-a.

Zelazny, Roger and Fred Saberhagen. The Black Throne. Baen Books/SFBC, 1990 (stated; Kovacs says it actually came out in 1991). First edition hardback (book club, and the only hardback) a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, inscribed by Zelazny: “For Scott,/Best, ever/Roger Zelazny/ 11/30/91”. Supplements my unsigned copy. Kovacs, I-1-c.

Zelazny, Roger, and Robert Sheckley. Bring Me the Head of Prince Charming. Bantam Spectra, 1991. Uncorrected proof (trade paperback format) of the first edition, a Fine copy with slight bumping at head, with signature plate by Zelazny affixed to blurb page. Kovacs, I-14-a.

Zelazny, Roger, and Robert Sheckley. Bring Me the Head of Prince Charming. Bantam Spectra, 1991. First edition trade paperback original (simultaneous with the hardback), a Fine- copy with slight bumping at head, inscribed by Zelazny: “To Shirley,/Roger Zelazny.” Supplements my signed hardback copy. Kovacs, I-14-c.

Zelazny, Roger. The Changing Land. Del Rey, 1981. Uncorrected Proof of the paperback original first edition, a Near Fine- copy with what appears to be glue staining to the front cover (possibly from a publicity department sticker or attached sheet), and pinpoint spots of other staining, but otherwise square and unread. Supplements my signed, read paperback, and my signed/limited Underwood/Miller edition. Levack, 4a (for the PBO), Kovacs I-6-a (for the proof). See also the manuscript section below.

Zelazny, Roger. Creatures of Light and Darkness. Doubleday, 1969. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a tiny bit of age-darkening and dust staining, inscribed by Zelazny: “For Larry Woods/Roger Zelazny”. Levack, 8a. Kovacs, I-9-a. Currey, P. 570.

Zelazny, Roger. Damnation Alley. Doubleday, 1969. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed by Zelazny: “All best-/Roger Zelazny/ 10/6/79”. Levack, 9a. Kovacs, I-10-b. Currey, P. 570. Naturally I’d pick this up just after I picked up a nice unsigned copy.

Zelazny, Roger. The Dream Master. Ace, 1966. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine- copy with “ZELAZNY DREAM MASTER” printed at heel, previous owner’s small ownership stamp on inner cover, two small pieces of tape at same spot, bookstore stamp at rear, and the usual age darkening to pages and foxing to inner covers, otherwise tight, square and apparently unread. Signed by Zelazny. This was in a picture frame, so I missed the stamps. Supplements my signed UK hardback first. Levack, 14a. Kovacs, I-18-a. Currey, P. 570.

Zelazny, Roger, and Robert Sheckley. A Farce to Be Reckoned With. Bantam, 1995. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy, new and unread. Not signed, alas. Third in the series that started with Bring Me the Head of Prince Charming. Kovacs, I-20-b.

Zelazny, Roger. For a Breath I Tarry. Underwood/Miller, 1980. First edition hardback, #65 of 200 signed, numbered hardback copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, with publisher’s letter included. One of my favorite Zelazny novellas. Supplements my trade paperback copy. Levack, 16a. Kovacs, VI-3-a-i. Chalker/Owings, P. 432.

Zelazny, Roger. The Guns of Avalon. Doubleday, 1972. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket that is ever so slightly spine-faded, but much less than usual for this orange spine, and slight wrinkling. Signed Twice by Zelazny, once on title page and once on signature plate affixed sideways on FFE. The second Amber novel. Supplements my signed Ex-Library copy. Levack, 18a. Kovacs, I-22-a. Currey, P. 570.

Zelazny, Roger (& Kate Wilhelm). He Who Shapes b/w The Infinity Box. Tor, 1989. First separate edition and first edition thus, a paperback original, a Fine- copy, new and unread. Signed by Zelazny. Kovacs, VI-5-a.

Zelazny, Roger (& Samuel R. Delany). Home is the Hangman b/w We, In Some Strange Power’s Employ, Move On a Rigorous Line. Tor, 1990. First separate edition and first edition thus, a paperback original, a Fine copy, new and unread. Signed by Zelazny and inscribed by Delany: “Samuel R. Delany/N.Y.C./’91”. The Delany story is also something of a Zelazny pastiche, with a disguised Zelazny (“his last name was Z-something unpronounceable”) as one of the main characters. Kovacs, VI-8-a.

Zelazny, Roger. The Last Defender of Camelot. Underwood/Miller, 1980. First edition hardback, #5 of only 35 numbered hardbacks with a signed bookplate pasted onto the copyright page, a Fine- copy with wear at edges. Just the story (making it different from the next item), and far and away Zelazny’s scarcest hardback (even more so than Nine Princes in Amber). This is the one I bought for $400 off eBay. Levack, 23b. Kovacs, VIII-4-b (also II-132-d). Chalker/Owings, P. 432. See also the manuscript section below.

Zelazny, Roger. The Last Defender of Camelot. Pocket Books, 1980. Uncorrected proof of the paperback first edition, a Fine copy. Levack, 24a (for paperback edition). Kovacs, V-15-a (for proof).

Zelazny, Roger. The Last Defender of Camelot. Underwood/Miller, 1981. First limited (and non-book club) hardback edition, #6 of 333 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. Short story collection. Includes stories not in the Pocket Books or SFBC editions. Supplements my signed SFBC edition. Levack, 24c. Kovacs, V-16-a-i. Chalker/Owings, P. 433.

Zelazny, Roger (as editor). Nebula Award Stories Three. Doubleday, 1968. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine-, completely unfaded white dust jacket with extremely minor wrinkling at head, with small Zelazny signature plate affixed to bottom inner flap of dust jacket. Nigh on impossible to find with the dust jacket this bright, much less signed. And most of the stories are pretty good as well!

Zelazny, Roger, and Alfred Bester. Psychoshop. Vintage, 1998. Uncorrected proof of the trade paperback first edition, a Fine copy. Kovacs, V-36-a.

Zelazny, Roger. Today We Choose Faces Signet, 1974. First edition paperback original (and trickier than usual to identify; it says “First Printing, April, 1973” at the bottom, but “FIRST PRINTING/SECOND PRINTING/”etc. through “TENTH PRINTING” above it), a Fine- copy with a touch of edgewear. Signed by Zelazny. Supplements a signed copy of the UK hardback first. Levack, 35a. Kovacs, I-41-a. Currey, P. 571.

Zelazny, Roger. To Die in Italbar. Doubleday, 1973. First edition hardback, a Near Fine+ copy with foxing along gutters and in a large rectangle on FFE where I presume the signed bookplate of the exact same size and shape now affixed to the title page once resided, in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with slight dust staining to rear white cover, and a bit of wear at points. Sequel to Isle of the Dead, and one of my least favorite Zelazny novels (which is why I waited until I had pretty much everything else to pick it up). Levack, 37a. Kovacs, I-42-a. Currey, P. 571.

Zelazny, Roger and Neil Randall. Roger Zelazny’s Visual Guide to Castle Amber. Avon/SFBC, 1988. First edition hardback (book club; the only hardback edition), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Zelazny. What the title says. Lots of illustrations and maps. Kovacs, X-14-b.

Zelazny, Roger. This Immortal. Ace, 1966. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine+ copy with small phantom creases to font and rear cover, a trace of edgewear along spine, and usual slight age darkening to pages and foxing of interior covers, otherwise square. Signed by Zelazny. Hugo Winner for Best Novel (tied with frank Herbert’s Dune), Nebula finalist. Levack, 34a. Kovacs, I-40-a. Currey, P. 571.

Zelazny, Roger. Wizard World. Baen, 1989. First edition paperback original thus, being an omnibus edition of Changeling and Madwand, a Fine copy, new and unread. Signed by Zelazny and cover artist David Mattingly. Kovacs, I-5-e-1

(Zelazny, Roger) Levack, Daniel J. Amber Dreams: A Roger Zelazny Bibliography. Underwood/Miller, 1983. First edition hardback, one of 200 signed hardbound copies, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Comparing the signed edition (left) to the unsigned edition (right), they seem printed in slightly different colors; the signed is more green, and the unsigned more yellow. The uniformity of tone in each makes me doubt either is the result of fading. Kovacs, XIII-1-a-1. Chalker/Owings, P. 435.

Zelazny Manuscripts/Etc.

Note: Bob carefully inserted each page of manuscript or correspondence into clear page protectors with 2-ring binder tabs.

Zelazny, Roger. The Changing Land. 340 page typesetting copy of the original manuscript for the Del Rey edition, with Zelazny’s hand corrections and typesetting notes, as well as ancillary editorial material, original bill of sale, catalog description, and letter of provenance from L. W. Currey.

Zelazny, Roger. “The Last Defender of Camelot”. Roger Zelazny’s original story manuscript, 24 pages typed (many of which are typed on the back of sheets of scrap paper), with numerous hand corrections by Zelazny, along with a few pages of ancillary material. Each sheet is in a plastic sheet protector in a three-ring binder. Also in the binder is what appears to be a copy of the hand-corrected manuscript for “Stand Pat, Ruby Stone.”

Zelazny, Roger (adapted and illustrated by James Zimmerman). The Last Defender of Camelot. Zim Graphics, 1993. First edition of the graphic novel adaptation in cardstock covers, #5 of 25 copies signed on the cover by Roger Zelazny, and #5 of 200 copies signed by Zimmerman, a Fine copy. Something to drive Zelazny completists crazy! Kovacs, II-133-a and VI-10-a.

Zelazny, Roger. “Unicorn Variations”. Zelazny’s original story manuscript, 37 typed pages, with hand corrections by Zelazny and type-setting instructions undoubtedly added by the staff of Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, where the story appeared (the manuscripts for my own stories that appeared in Asimov’s came back marked up the same way). Each sheet in a plastic sheet protector in a three-ring binder, along with a few pages of ancillary material.

Roger Zelazny’s Professional Correspondence Archive. Two huge three-ring binders containing copies of all Zelazny’s outgoing letters, from about 1970 through 1981, plus the originals of incoming correspondence to him. Includes letters to him from Robert A. Heinlein, Thomas Disch, Lloyd Biggle, Jr., Marion Zimmer Bradley, George R. R. Martin, Fredric Pohl, Connie Willis, Pat Cadigan, Jack Dann, Lisa Goldstein, David Bischoff, John F. Carr, Ellen Kushner (rejecting a story!), Bruce McAllister, Victor Milan, Michael Stackpole, Reginald Bretnor, Phyllis Eisenstein, Thomas Canty (plus art proofs), Judy-Lynn Del Rey, Jim Baen, Byron Preiss, Jim Turner, David Hartwell, Jim Frenkel, Mike Ashley, George Scithers, Gerry de la Ree, Glenn Lord, Bob Frazier, (among many others), and a telegram from Philip K. Dick (with Zelazny’s scrawled notes from the ensuing telephone conversation). Plus other letters from agents, editors, academics, Hollywood functionaries, and random fans. Plus some SFWA Forums and convention program books Zelazny had material in. According to Bob, L. W. Currey got the archive as part of a purchase from the Zelazny estate. Since Bob had bought a number of expensive items from him in the past (some listed here), he said “Look, Bob, I don’t want to catalog all this. Let me sell it to you as a lot.” Which is how Bob got it.

Non-Zelazny Books

Bob did have a few non-Zelazny books I picked up.

Banks, Iain. Against A Dark Background. Orbit, 1993. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Signed by Banks. Replaces an unsigned copy.

Banks, Iain. Consider Phlebas. Macmillan, 1987. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Signed by Banks. Replaces an unsigned copy.

Powers, Tim. The Anubis Gates. Mark V. Ziesing, 1989. First American hardback edition, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Already had inscribed firsts of the PBO, and the UK first hardback editions, as well as the copy of the original hand-written manuscript in the ultralimited edition of the Berlyne Power bibliography. I picked up this to complete my Mark V. Ziesing collection…

Vance, Jack. The Best of Jack Vance. Taplinger, 1978. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Near Fine, slightly dust soiled/age darkened dust jacket.

I also made two mistakes: Picking up a proof of Zelazny and Thomas T. Thomas’ The Mask of Loki (forgot I already had a signed proof) and a signed hardback first of Iain Banks’ Excession (already had one). Those will be offered in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog, which I’ll start working on right after I post this.

Roger Zelazny Books I Still Lack

Believe it or not, this doesn’t actually complete my Zelazny collection, as there are still a few odds and ends I don’t have, mainly in edited works and works about Zelazny. Some aren’t particularly hard to find, I just haven’t picked them up yet.

The Doors of His Face, The Lamps of His Mouth (Pulphouse hardback of just that story)

Home is the Hangman (SFBC, 1996)

Trumps of Doom (Underwood Miller, 1985)

~~(with Thomas T. Thomas) Flare (Baen, 1992, paperback original)~~

~~(as editor) The Williamson Effect (Tor, 1996)~~

~~(as editor) Wheel of Fortune (AvoNova, 1995, paperback original)~~

Greenberg, Martin H., editor. Lord of the Fantastic: Stories in Honor of Roger Zelazny (Avon Eos, 1998)

Lindskold, Jane. Roger Zelazny. Twayne, 1992.

Sanders, Joseph L. Roger Zelazny: A Primary and Secondary Bibliography (G. K. Hall, 1982)

Yoke, Karl B. Roger Zelazny: Starmont Reader’s Guide (Borgo Press (Library binding hardback), 1979)

~~Yoke, Karl B. Roger Zelazny and Andre Norton: Proponents of Individualism (State University of Ohio, 1979)~~

Tags:Books, Fantasy, First Edition, George R. R. Martin, Hugo Award, Iain M. Banks, Jack Vance, manuscripts, Pat Cadigan, Robert A. Heinlein, Roger Zelazny, Science Fiction, The Last Defender of Camelot
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Science Fiction | 7 Comments »

Library Additions: August 8—December 31, 2011

Sunday, January 8th, 2012

Despite this big-ass list, I think my book buying is actually slowing down a little. It’s getting harder to find things that I want (and don’t already have) at Half Price Books or eBay. Despite that, I always seem to have a surprisingly large number of books every time I do one of these roundups, mainly due to new small press offerings. (And speaking of small presses, many of the books listed below from Subterranean, Golden Gryphon, Haffner, etc. will be on sale through Lame Excuse Books, so drop me a line if you want to be on the mailing list.)

Allston, Aaron. Doc Sidhe. Baen, 1995. First edition paperback original.

Anderson, Poul. Fire Time. Doubleday, 1974. Fine in a Near Fine dust jacket, inscribed to Locus editor Charles N. Brown.

Anonymous. Man Abroad. Gregg Press, 1978. First hardback edition, a reprint of the 1887 paperback, one of only 257 copies printed, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. From the Jerry Weist collection.

Bailey, Dale and Jack Slay. Sleeping Policemen. Golden Gryphon, 2006.

Beagle, Peter S. Strange Roads. Dreamhaven, 2008. First edition chapbook original, signed by Beagle and artist Lisa Snellings.

Bennett, Robert Jackson. The Company Man. Orbit, 2011. Trade paperback original.

Bester, Alfred. Virtual Unrealities. Vintage, 1997. Trade paperback original, NF- with 1/4 sticker pull at bottom of front cover.

Bester, Alfred, and Roger Zelazny. Psychoshop. Vintage, 1998. Trade paperback original (TPO) first edition, a Fine- copy with slight edgewear.

Bloch, Robert. Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper. Subterranean Press, 2011. Expanded from the Belmont paperback edition.

Bowes, Richard. From the Files of the Time Rangers. Golden Gryphon, 2005.

Brackett, Leigh. Shannach: The Last Farewell to Mars. Haffner Press, 2011.

Brown, Eric. Threshold Shift. Golden Gryphon, 2006.

Campbell, Ramsey. The Inhabitant of the Lake and Less Welcome Tenants. Arkham House, 1964. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Near Fine dust jacket with slight darkening to spine, and slight edgewear at heel and fold points.

Carroll, Jonathan. The Ghost in Love. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2008.

Chayefsky, Paddy. Altered States. Harper & Row, 1978. A Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a few touches of wear.

Datlow, Ellen, and Terri Windling. The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror: Sixteenth Annual Collection. St. Martins Griffin, 2002. Inscribed to me by Datlow.

Diaz, Junot. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Riverhead Books, 2007.

Dick, Philip K. The Early Work of Philip K. Dick Volume One: The Variable Man and Other Stories. Prime Books, 2009.

Dick, Philip K. (edited by Pamela Jackson and Jonathan Lethem) The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011. Non-fiction.

Dozois, Gardner. When the Great Days Come. Prime Books, 2011.

Donaldson, Stephen R. The Best of Stephen R. Donaldson. Subterranean Press, 2011. One of 250 numbered, leatherbound copies signed by the author.

Donaldson, Stephen R. The Best of Stephen R. Donaldson. Subterranean Press, 2011. Trade edition.

Farmer, Philip Jose. The Keeper of the Secrets. Severn House, 1985. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a tiny bit of haze rubbing to the rear cover. First hardback edition of The Mad Goblin.

Farmer, Philip Jose. Love Song. Brandon House, 1970. Paperback original. Full details here.

Gaiman, Neil. Melinda. Hill House, 2004. Full details here.

Graham, H. E. The Battle of Dora William Clowes & Sons, Ltd. 1931. First edition hardback, a Very Good copy in a Good+ dust jacket with three 1/4″ chips at edges. Future war book set in an imaginary European country concerned with primarily with the evolving tactics of mechanized warfare. With fold-out maps!

Haldeman, Joe. A Tool of the Trade. Morrow, 1987.

Haldeman, Joe. World’s Apart. Viking, 1983. With review slips laid in.

Heinlein, Robert A. Podkayne of Mars. Putnam, 1963. Full details here.

Howard, Robert E. The Coming of Conan. Gnome Press, 1953. First edition hardback, a Near Fine+ copy with slight bends at head and heel and slight foxing to strip along front and back gutters, in a Near Fine dust jacket with slight dust staining to white rear cover and a few touches of rubbing to spine panel (but no spine fading). This completes my Robert E. Howard Gnome Press Conan collection. (At some point I suppose I’ll pick up the De Camp volumes but, eh. what’s the rush?)

Howard, Robert E. Marchers of Valhalla. Donald M. Grant, 1971. Bought from a notable SF book dealer for $8.

Hubbard, L. Ron. Final Blackout. Hadley Publishing, 1948. Full details here.

Leyner, Mark. My Cousin, My Gastroenterologist. Harmony Books, 1990. First edition trade paperback original, Near Fine+ with a crease to bottom front corner.

(Lovecraft, H. P.) Lockhart, Ross E. The Book of Cthulhu. Night Shade Boooks, 2011. First edition trade paperback original.

Lynch, Scott. The Lies of Locke Lamora. Gollancz, 2006. A Fine copy in a Near Fine dust jacket, signed by the author.

Martin, George R. R. GRRM: A RRetrospective. Subterranean Press, 2003. First edition hardback, Letter B of 52 signed, lettered, leatherbound copies, housed in a handcrafted traycase, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket; however, the traycase housing the book has a cracked bottom outer hinge, as well as a tiny bit of bend at the top front traycase tip.

Martin, George R. R., editor. Wild Cards: Marked Cards. Baen, 1994. First edition paperback original. Second book in the Baen Wild Cards series, and the Fourteenth overall.

Matheson, Richard. Born of Man and Woman. Chamberlain Press, 1954. Details here.

Matheson, Richard. The Shrinking Man. David Bruce & Watson, 1973. First hardback edition. Details here.

McCammon, Robert. The Hunter from The Woods. Subterranean Press, 2011. One of 1,000 signed, numbered copies.

Miller, Warren. Looking for the General. McGraw-Hill, 1964. Bought for $8 from a notable SF book dealer. Howard Waldrop recommended this.

Miyabe, Miyuki. Brave Story. Viz, 2007. First English-language edition.

Moon, Elizabeth. Lunar Activity. First edition paperback original (PBO), a near Fine+ copy with invisible spine creasing and slight edgewear. Signed by Moon.

Moorcock, Michael. Dr. Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles. BBC Books, 2010. Signed by Moorcock.

Moorcock, Michael. The Runestaff. White Lion, 1974. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with just a tiny bit of wear in a Fine dust jacket. First hardback edition.

Moorcock, Michael. The Sleeping Sorceress. New English Library, 1971. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with color loss along inner flaps edges (possibly a printing flaw). First hardback edition of The Vanishing Tower.

Niffenegger, Audrey. The Time Traveler’s Wife. McAdam Cage, 2003. First edition hardback, a near Fine copy with slight lean in a Near Fine- first state (no logo) dust jacket with several long creases.

Niven, Larry. Strange Light. Dreamhaven, 2010. First edition chapbook original.

Niven, Larry. A World Out of Time. Holt Reinhart Winston, 1976. Bought from a notable Sf book dealer for 48. Review slip laid in.

Niven, Larry, and Steve Barnes. Dream Park. Phantasia Press, 1981. One of 600 signed, numbered copies in slipcase. From the Jerry Weist collection.

Novik, Naomi. Victory of Eagles. Del Rey, 2008. Fifth Temeraire book.

Oliver, Chad. Another Kind. Ballantine Books, no date (1955). First edition hardback (an unrecorded variant binding of green boards with red lettering), a Near Fine copy with slight age-darkening to page (most noticeable in one signature) and slight bending at head and heel in a Near Fine dust jacket with slight age darkening and touches of wear at extremities. Actually quite nice. All of the Ballantine SF hardbacks if this era are hard to find.

Paltock, Robert. The Life & Adventures of Peter Wilkins. Hyperion Press, 1974. Reprint of the 1928 edition, which in turn reprints a novel first published in 1750 or 1751 (sources differ; Bleiler’s Checklist (1978 edition) says 1753, which I believe is the publication year for the second volume). Fine- copy, with trace of wear along bottom board, sans dust jacket, as issued.

Pohl, Frederik, and C. M. Kornbluth. The Space Merchants. Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martins, 2011. “Revised 21st Century Edition,” trade paperback original thus.

Powers, Tim. The Bible Repairman and Other Stories. Subterranean Press, 2011. One of 500 signed, numbered copies.

Resnick, Mike. Blasphemy. Golden Gryphon, 2010.

Rickert, M. Holiday. Golden Gryphon, 2010.

Rochelle, Warren. The Called. Golden Gryphon, 2010.

Rochelle, Warren. A Harvest of Changelings. Golden Gryphon, 2007.

Rusch, Kristine Kathryn. Recovering Apollo 8. Golden Gryphon, 2010.

Sargent, Pamela. Thumbprints. Golden Gryphon, 2004. Signed by Sargent.

Scalzi, John. Fuzzy Nation. Tor, 2011.

Serviss, Garrett P. Edison’s Conquest of Mars. Carcosa House, 1947. Full details here.

Shute, Nevil. On the Beach. Heinemann, 1957. First edition hardback, a near Fine plus copy with dust staining to top page blocks and touches of wear to boards at heel, in a Near Fine dust jacket, with slight edgewear at head and heel and a few very short, closed tears.

Silverberg, Robert. The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg Volume Six: Multiples 1983-87. Fine, sans dj, as issued.

Skillingstead, jack. Are You There. Golden Gryphon, 2009.

Skipp, John and Cody Goodfellow. Spore. Morning Star Press, 2011. Signed PC copy; the regular edition was 150 signed, numbered copies.

Smith, Clark Ashton. The Collected Fantasies Volume 5: The Last Hieroglyph. Night Shade Press, 2010.

Stross, Charles. Palimpsest. Subterranean Press, 2011.

Twain, Mark (edited by Harriet Elinor Smith). The Autobiography of Mark Twain: Volume 1. University of California Press, 2010. Non-fiction, and large enough to stun an ox.

(Vance, Jack) Andre-Driussi, Michael. Vance Space. Sirius Fiction, 1997. First edition chapbook, a Fine copy in self-wraps. Signed by Vance. Non-fiction.

Willis, Connie. All Clear. Ballantine Books, 2010. Signed.

Williamson, Jack. At the Human Limit: The Collected Stories of Jack Williamson, Volume Eight. Haffner Press, 2011.

Wilson, Robert. Julian Comstock. Tor, 2009.

Wolfe, Gene. The Sorcerer’s House. Tor, 2010. Read this in ARC, and sort-of reviewed it here.

Zelazny, Roger. Unicorn Variations Timescape, 1983. Supplements an inscribed book club edition.

Lame Excuse Books October Catalog

Saturday, October 15th, 2011

Once again, it’s time for “Lawrence posts the latest Lame Excuse Books Catalog as a big block of text.”

Welcome to Lawrence Person’s Lame Excuse for a Book Catalog! Once again there’s lots of great stuff, including new books from Joe R. Lansdale, James P. Blaylock, Robert E. Howard, and Paul Di Filippo, as well as notable older first editions by Stephen King and Robert A. Heinlein, some signed Joe Hill books, numerous small press books from Subterranean, Night Shade, Golden Gryphon, PS Publishing, and Prime, among others, plus a few sale books (including a lot in the trade paperback section). Most in-print books start at $3 off cover price, and as usual I only have one or two copies for many titles, so you might want to act quickly.

I should also note that a lot of the things I’ve had around for a while have been disappearing over he last few months. The Best of Michael Swanwick? Gone. Want some of those signed Subterranean Press John Scalzi books? Sorry, they’re all gone. The Collected Zelazny? Down to my last copy of Volume 6, and the rest are gone. Those signed copies of R. A. Laffery’s Serpent’s Egg I had lying around and selling slowly for years and years? Sold the last one. (I do have one of the signed East of Laughters left, if you act quickly; I think there’s actually a bit of a Lafferty revival going on right now.)

Anyway, if you were putting off buying something thinking “Hey, Lawrence at Lame Excuse Books will have that for a while, I can put off getting that,” you might want to think again. I try to keep my inventory pretty light, so when something is gone, it’s GONE.

Also, since I have a few books that have been sitting around for quite a while, I’m going to make the following offer to regular customers (i.e., anyone receiving this email):

1. Add one or more grab-bag mass market paperbacks (my choice) to any order for $1.
2. Add one or more grab-bag hardback or trade paperbacks (again, my choice) to any order for $2.

Further clarification:

• Maximum number of grab bag books is ten total per order
• All SF/F/H or related
• I promise it’s a book I thought was worth selling when I cataloged it
• I won’t include any duplicates in the same order
• I won’t include any media tie-in books or any books 2 or higher in a series
• I might include an ex-library book, but only one per order
• Regular shipping charges apply
• To sweeten the deal, the first five grab-bag orders for both paperback and hardback/trade paperback orders will receive a book signed by the author

$1-2 is a pretty low risk proposition, and there’s a good chance you might get something you like. You pays your money and you takes your chances.

The URL for the main Lame Excuse Books webpage is:

https://www.lawrenceperson.com/lame.html

I’m still doing a Lame Excuse Books Twitter feed:

https://twitter.com/LameExcuseBooks

Payment, Contact & Shipping Information

E-mail me at lawrenceperson@gmail.com. I can hold books ten days on e-mail or phone requests (please leave a message on my voice mail for the latter: (512) 569-9036). U.S. shipping is $5.00 for the first book, and $1.00 a book thereafter. Foreign shipping is at cost (please inquire; for most locations, Global Priority starts at $13.00). Books may be returned in the same condition sent for any reason within 10 days of purchase for a full refund. Please make checks payable to Lawrence Person. I can also take Paypal payment to this e-mail address at http://www.paypal.com, and I can take MC and Visa directly through my merchant account.

Please mail checks to:

Lawrence Person
Lame Excuse Books
P.O. Box 27231
Austin, Texas 78755

Finally, if you want me to take you off this mailing list, please let me know. I hate spam just as much as the next person.

Now the books!

Hardbacks

LP1895. Bishop, Michael. Brighten to Incandescence. Golden Gyphon, 2003. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Short story collection. Back in stock. $15.

LP1896. Blaylock, James P. The Affair of the Chalk Cliffs. Subterranean Press, 2011. First edition hardback, one of 1,500 copies signed by Blaylock, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. A Steampunk Langdon St. Ives adventure. List is $35, but since I managed to double-order this, let’s sell it cheap. $28.

LP1456. Brite, Poppy Z. Antediluvian Tales. Subterranean Press, 2007. First edition hardback, one of 400 numbered copies signed by Brite in a better binding with marbled endpapers, a Fine copy in a Fine dj, new and unread. Collection of short stories all written before her home town of New Orleans was flooded. $35.

LP1898. Dann, Jack. Junction. PS Publishing, 2011. First hardback edition (it was originally a PBO in 1981), a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. Story of a boy who’s town is right next to Hell. Looks interesting. $30.

LP1777. De Lint, Charles. Eyes Like Leaves. Subterranean Press, 2009. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread, signed by De Lint. $25.

LP1878. Dick, Philip K. The Complete Stories of Philip K. Dick Volume 1: The King of the Elves. Subterranean Press, 2011. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. If you don’t have the Underwood/Miller Collected PKD set, then you need this. If you do, you should know that is expanded from the edition, incorporating new story notes, and two added tales, one previously unpublished, and one uncollected. So if you’re a serious Dick fan, you probably need this as well. Now $5 off cover price. $35.

LP1900. Di Filippo, Paul. Little Doors. Four Walls Eight Windows, 2002. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Short story collection, back in stock. Only have one. $12.

LP1901. Di Filippo, Paul. Princess of the Linear Jungle. PS Publishing, 2010. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Sequel to A Year in the Linear City. $17.

LP1263. Erikson, Steven. Fishin’ With Grandma Matchie. PS Publishing, 2005. First edition hardback, one of 400 limited, numbered copies signed by Erikson and introduction author Graham Joyce, a fine copy in a Fine dj, new and unread. $21.

LP1460. Erikson, Steven. The Lees of Laughter’s End. PS Publishing, 2007. First edition hardback, one of 1000 unsigned hardback copies, Fine in decorated boards, sans dj, as issued. The latest Bauchelain and Korbal Broach book set in Lamentable Moll, in a very affordable hardback edition. $15.

LP1905. Farmer, Philip Jose. Up the Bright River. Subterranean Press, 2011. First edition hardback, one of 1500 copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Short story collection. How does 25% off cover price sound? $30.

LP1906. Heinlein, Robert A. Podkayne of Mars. Putnam, 1963. First edition hardback (no statement of printing on copyright page, as per Currey, p. 233), an Ex-Library copy with all the usual flaws (pocket, stamps, stickers, tape, etc.), otherwise Good with significant wear along bottom boards, spine lean, cracked front hinge and general wear, in a Good+ dust jacket missing a 1/2″ x 1/2″ chip from head, faint dampstain along top of rear cover, and other touches of general wear, price of $3.50 intact. Heinlein’s last juvenile, and surprisingly hard to find these days. $95.

LP1635. Hill, Joe (writing name for Joseph Hillstrom King). Gunpowder. PS Publishing, 2008. First edition hardback, one of 500 unsigned copies in decorated boards, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued, new and unread. Signed by Hill (with a drawing of a planet) at the 2011 World Horror Convention. $30.

LP1907. Howard, Robert E. The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard. Subterranean Press, 2010. First edition hardback, one of 750 copies signed by artist Greg Staples, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and slipcase, new and unread. Huge, handsome, and lavishly-illustrated volume. $7 domestic shipping, considerably more overseas. Only have one. $145.

LP1640. King, Stephen. Stephen King Goes to the Movies. Subterranean Press, 2009. First edition hardback, one of 2000 copies (and the only hardback edition), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Includes five stories by King that were made into movies (“1408,” “The Mangler,” “Low Men in Yellow Coats” (made into Hearts in Atlantis), “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption,” “The Mist” and “Children of the Corn,” each with new introductions by King about how the moves were made and what he thought of them. Illustrations by Vincent Chong. With two color printing and heavier than usual paper, this is a lavish production beyond even the usual high Subterranean Press standards. I haven’t read all the stories in here, but the ones I have are among King’s best. Recommended. $49.

LP1908. King, Stephen. The Little Sisters of Eluria. Donald M. Grant, 2008. First edition hardback, one of 4,000 Artists copies signed by artist Michael Whelan, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and foil-stamped slipcase, new and unread, still in publisher’s shrinkwrap. “This volume contains [the expanded version of The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger] as well as the novella The Little Sisters of Eluria which chronicles an earlier adventure of Roland’s as he persued the Man in Black. Published in a larger format than the Dark Tower series which enhances Michael Whelan’s thirteen full color plates and over twenty three black & white designs.” A nicely lavish production I’m offering at $5 off the cover price. Only have one. $90.

LP1909. Kress, Nancy. Nothing Human. Golden Gryphon, 2003. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with two tiny (1/16″) closed tears at head, otherwise new and unread. Novel. Thanks to that flaw, you can pick it up at half cover price. $13.

LP761. Lafferty, R.A (Gene Wolfe). East of Laughter. Morrigan (UK), 1988. First edition hardback, one of only 260 numbered copies signed by Lafferty and Wolfe, Fine in Fine dj and slipcase, new and unread. An additional Lafferty story, “The Story of Little Briar-Rose: A Scholarly Study,” and Wolfe’s postscript, “Scribbling Giant,” appear only in the limited edition. The binding is also in a slightly better grade of cloth that matches the slipcase. A chance to pick up a signed edition of one of the late, great R. A. Lafferty’s weird, wonderful books. $36.

LP1846. Lake, Jay. The Sky That Wraps. Subterranean Press, 2010. First edition hardback, one of 1,000 signed copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Short story collection by the author of the Hugo-nominated Mainspring, and a swell guy to boot. $35.

LP1847. Lake, Jay. The Specific Gravity of Grief. Fairwoods Press, 2010. First edition hardback, one of only 250 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. With an introduction by Maureen McHugh. Novella about a man with cancer (with which Jay has had more than one bout), so probably not something for the light reading pile. Only have one. $20.

LP1911. Lansdale, Joe R. Hyenas. Subterranean Press, 2011. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. New Hap & Leonard novella. Even though this is the trade edition, this copy is signed by Lansdale. $22.

LP1910. Lansdale, Joe R. Zeppelin’s West. Subterranean Press, 2001. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy in a Fine dust jacket; if you look carefully at the top edge, you can see that there’s a very slight bow to the rear board near the spine, though you couldn’t tell looking at it on the shelf. Signed by Lansdale. First volume of Lansdale’s steampunk romp featuring the head of Buffalo Bill Cody preserved in a jar, as well as many other famous historical personages, fictional and otherwise. Long out of print from Subterranean. $49.

LP1912. Niven, Larry/Derwin Mak. Eeriecon Chapbook Ten: Doubling Rate/Willpower. Buffalo Fantasy League, 2011. First edition hardback chapbook, one of only 15(!) hardback copies, signed by both authors, Fine in a Fine dust jacket. Only have one. I think it’s safe to say that there are more than 15 serious Niven collectors in the world… $150.

LP1913. Reynolds, Alastair. Troika. Subterranean Press, 2011. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Tale of humans finding an enigma in space. Out of print from the publisher. $35.

LP1914. Smith, Clark Ashton Smith. The Collected Fantasies Volume 5: The Last Hieroglyph. Night Shade Books, 2010. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. They were supposed to send this to me last year, but it slipped their mind. I only have one, and the other volumes I’ve sold out of. $37.

LP1915. Rucker, Rudy. Jim and the Flims. Night Shade Press, 2011. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. New novel about aliens from another dimension taking up residence with the protagonist. Only have one. $22.

LP1916. Swanwick, Michael. Dancing With Bears. Night Shade Books, 2011. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. His latest novel, featuring con-men Darger and Surplus. $22.

LP197. Tepper, Sheri. Gibbon’s Decline and Fall. Bantam, 1996. First edition hardback, Fine in a Fine dj, new in dj. $5.

LP1918. Williamson, Jack. The Collected Stories of Jack Williamson Volume Eight: At the Human Limit. Haffner Press, 2011. First edition, hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread, still in publisher’s shrinkwrap. Last volume of the Collected Williamson. $37.

Trade Paperbacks (including proofs and chapbooks)

LP1194. Aylett, Steve. Toxicology. Gollancz, 2001. First edition trade paperback original (simultaneous with the hardback) thus, with six stories (two original to this edition) not in the Four Walls Eight Windows edition, a Fine- copy with a tiny bump at head, otherwise new and unread. Very weird postmodern slipstream stories. $7.

LP1919. Beagle, Peter S. Strange Roads. Dreamhaven, 2008. First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy, signed by Beagle and artist Lisa Snellings. At 72 pages, pretty hefty for a chapbook. Only have one. $12.

LP532. Blaylock, James P. Thirteen Phantasms. Edgewood Press, 2000. An “Advance Uncorrected Proof”; of the first hardback edition, F with a glue bump at heel (as bound) and a blue ballpoint pen correction to the zip code on the cover (presumably by the publisher). $8.

LP925. Clement, Hal. Noise. Tor, 2003. Advanced Uncorrected proof of the hardback first edition, a Fine copy, unread. His last novel. $8.

LP874. Datlow, Ellen & Windling, Terri. The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror: Sixteenth Annual Collection. St. Martin’s Griffin, 2003. First edition trade paperback original (simultaneous with the hardback edition), a Fine- copy with one small, faint, tackhead-sized dust stain to lower fore-edge, otherwise new and unread. Lots of the usual suspects, including Neil Gaiman, Elizabeth Hand, Karen Joy Fowler, etc. These are always worth picking up. $5.

LP1440. Delany, Samuel R. Silent Interviews: On Language, Race, Sex, Science Fiction, and Some Comics. Wesleyan University Press, 1994. Second printing of the trade paperback edition, a Fine- copy with a trace of haze rubbing and a few pinpricks of wear, otherwise new and apparently unread. A quick look shows this a few orders of magnitude more accessible than Delany’s deconstructionist “close reading” criticism. $5.

LP1708. Dick, Philip K. Puttering About in a Small Land. Tor, 2009. Advanced Uncorrected Proof of the first Tor edition, trade paperback format, a Fine copy, new and unread. Good to see Tor bringing back some of the more obscure mainstream Dick titles into print. This edition isn’t scheduled to be published until December. $10.

LP1920. (Dick, Philip K.) Carrere, Emmanuel. I Am Alive and You Are Dead: A Journey Into the Mind of Philip K. Dick. Picador, 2005. First trade paperback edition, a reprint of the hardback that came out the previous year, a Fine copy, new and unread. $5.

LP772. Di Filippo, Paul. Lost Pages. Four Walls Eight Windows, 1998. First edition trade paperback original, NF with some wear to matte black cover. Strange literary alternate history tales where Kafka was a costumed superhero, Anne Frank a Hollywood movie star, etc., with Robert A. Heinlein, Philip K. Dick, Alfred Bester, etc., all appearing as characters. $8.

LP1300. Di Filippo, Paul. Shuteye for the Timebroker. Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2006. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy, new and unread. $13.

LP703. Friedman, Kinky. Steppin’ on a Rainbow. Simon and Schuster, 2001. An Advanced uncorrected reader’s proof (side-bound trade paperback format), Fine- with a trace of handling to front cover. Mystery set in Hawaii. The latest weirdness from this gonzo country music singer turned author. $7.

LP746. Elrick, George S. Science Fiction Handbook. Chicago Review Press, 1978. First edition trade paperback (simultaneous with the hardback edition), VG, with general yellow and wear to white covers. Provides a long section of definitions on SF topics relating to fiction, astronomy, physics, etc., plus a reading list. $3.

LP1367. Genoa, Chris. Foop! Eraserhead Press, 2006. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy, new and unread, with bookmark signed by the author laid in. Ostensibly a time-travel novel, I heard someone (maybe John Barnes) rave about this on a panel at Worldcon. Supposedly very weird, somewhat Steve Aylett-ish, and has “something funny on every page.” Gets blurbs from James Morrow, Christopher Moore and Nick Sagan, among others. Looks like fun. $8.

LP1921. Hill, Joe. 20th Century Ghosts. PS Publishing, 2005. First edition trade paperback (simultaneous with the hardback states), one of 1000 copies, a Fine copy, new and unread. A very solid short story collection. At the World Horror Convention in Austin this year, Peter Straub and I talked about how we’re both fans of the story “pop Art.” This copy has been signed (with a simple drawing) by Hill at that convention. $49.

LP1922. Hughart, Barry. Eight Skilled Gentlemen. Doubleday/Foundation, 1991. First edition trade paperback original (simultaneous with the much rarer hardback edition), a Fine- copy with a bit of wear along the spine edges. third and final master Li & Number 10 Ox book, and one that keeps selling for me. Highly recommended. $20.

LP1923. Lafferty, R. A. Aurelia. Donning Starblaze, 1982. First edition trade paperback original (no hrdback has ever been published), a Fine- copy with just a tiny trace of wear at head and heel. Haven’t read it, but I’m pretty sure it’s weird. Like a lot of Lafferty, it’s getting pretty hard to find these days. $49.

LP1893. Leicht, Stina. Of Blood and Honey. Night Shade Press, 2011. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy, new and unread. Stina is a friend and long-time member of the Turkey City Writer’s Workshop, so it’s good to see her first novel make it out into the world. This is a fantasy set against the Troubles of Northern Ireland in the 1970s. signed by Leicht $12.

LP1924. (Lovecraft, H. P.) Lockhart, Ross E. The Book of Cthulhu. Night Shade Books, 2011. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy, new and unread. Cthulhu Mythos anthology, a mixture of new stories and reprints, with stories by Gene Wolfe, Charles Stross, Kage Baker, Ramsey Campbell, Thomas Ligotti, Bruce Sterling, etc. At 500+ pages, it’s a lot of Cthulhu for your money. Hopefully I should be able to sell you a copy; I paid for four from Night Shade and have only received one so far… $14.

LP774. Panshin, Alexi and Cory. The World Beyond the Hill: Science Fiction and the Quest for Transcendence. Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1989. First trade paperback edition, having being preceded by the Elephant limited hardback, VG, with creasing to front and back cover, and slight creasing, wrinkles, and wear to spine. A history of science fiction’s “Golden Age” which won the Hugo for best non-fiction. $8.

LP709. Prachett, Terry. The Last Hero. HarperCollins, 2001. Uncorrected proof (trade paperback format) of the first U.S. edition, Fine-, mint and unread save for a booksale sticker to spine. A proof of just the text portion of this illustrated Discworld novel. $15.

LP1204. Shan, Darren. The Vampire’s Assistant. HarperCollins, 2000. First edition trade paperback original (preceding the American), a Fine- copy with just a trace of wear to matte black cover and phantom crease to top rear corner. Book two of The Saga of Darren Shan and sequel to Cirque du Freak. Well-regarded YA vampire series. $5.

LP776. Shirley, John. Black Butterflies. Mark V. Ziesing, 1998. First edition trade paperback original, Fine- with a neat former-owner’s signature on the inside front cover. Some of Shirley’s darker stories. $12.

LP710. Shirley, John. Eclipse (Volume One, A Song Called Youth trilogy). Bluejay Books, 1985. First edition trade paperback original, NF with slight edge staining, the usual slight age yellowing of spine and back, and a tiny bump at heel. $8.

LP1305. Sterling, Bruce. Visionary is Residence. Thunders Mouth Press, 2006. First edition trade paperback original (no hardback edition), Near Fine with a faint, non-breaking crease along the spine, despite it being a new, unread copy. Short story collection. Signed by Sterling. $15.

LP1925. Taylor, H. P. Shadowmancer. Putnam, 2004. Advanced Reading Copy of the hardback first edition (trade paperback format), a Fine- copy with a few faint scratches on the lower spine, otherwise new and unread. Well-received young adult fantasy novel. $49.

LP1926. Taylor, H. P. Wormwood. Putnam, 2004. Advanced Reading Copy of the hardback first edition (trade paperback format), a Fine- copy with a tiny bump at heel, otherwise new and unread, with review materials laid in. Second in the series following Shadowmancer. $49.

LP1209. Utley, Steven (Tuttle, Lisa). The Beasts of Love. Wheatland Press, 2005. First edition trade paperback original (as a POD book, there are technically no first editions as such, but I got this straight from the publisher at Armadillocon shortly after it came out), a Fine copy, new and unread. The latest short story collection by this talented and prolific ex-Austinite most famous for his collaborations with Howard Waldrop. Introduction by Lisa Tuttle. $15.

LP1370. Waldrop, Howard. Howard Who? Small Beer Press, 2006. Trade paperback reprint, a Fine copy, new and unread. Signed by Waldrop. Waldrop’s landmark first short story collection, one of the best SF collections of the 20th century, out of print for nearly two decades, with such classic stories as the Nebula-winning “The Ugly Chickens,” “The World, as We Know’t”, “Horror We Got,” “Mary Margaret Road Grater,” and “Heirs of the Perisphere.” Highly recommended. $12.

LP374. Willis, Connie. To Say Nothing of the Dog. Bantam, 1997. ARC of the hardback first edition, Fine- with bumps to head and heel and contact stickers on front cover. Hugo winner, Nebula finalist. Signed by Willis. $75.

LP1928. Zivkovic, Zoran. Steps Through the Mist. Polaris, 2003. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy, new and unread. Either linke short stories or an episodic novel. Like the other Polaris books, this is an odd trim size: thicker than a chapbook and slightly taller and wider than a mass market paperback. This Belgrade edition precedes the U.S. edition by three years. $20.

Mass Market Paperbacks

LP1930. Jeter, K. W. The Night Man. Onyx, 1990. First edition paperback original (PBO), a Fine copy, new and unread. Jeter’s horror PBOs are not as common as they used to be. $5.

LP1933. Shirley, John. The Brigade. Avon, 1981. Paperback original (PBO) first edition, Very Good+, with spine creasing and lean. One of Shirley’s most difficult PBOs, and I don’t think it’s ever been reprinted. $10.

LP1934. Zelazny, Roger. Ace, 1966. First edition paperback original (PBO) (no statement of printing on copyright page, F-393/40¢ on cover, as per Currey), a Near Fine- copy with a line at head and some touches of wear, otherwise nice and square, with usual foxing to inside cover and age darkening to pages. Hugo winner for best novel. Levack, 34a. $3.

Tags:Books, Fantasy, Golden Gryphon, Horror, James P. Blaylock, Joe Hill, Joe R. Lansdale, Night Shade Books, Philip K. Dick, PS Publishing, Robert A. Heinlein, Robert E. Howard, Science Fiction, signed, Stephen King, Subterranean Press
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction | 1 Comment »

After Action Report on Heritage Auction’s Sale of the Jerry Weist Collection

Monday, September 19th, 2011

Every year or two, Heritage Auctions in Dallas conducts a big auction of a major science fiction book collection. In 2007, it was the Ventura Collection.

The Ventura Collection auction was very successful, and since it occurred right before the advent of The Great Recession, many of the prices achieved in that auction have not since been equaled. (It may also be the first auction catalog Heritage mass-mailed to prospective SF collectors; I had not received any before then.)

In 2008, it was The Robert and Diane Yaspan collection, which included a vast array of SF firsts as well as several SF manuscripts and a few select non-SF firsts, such as many firsts by mystery writer Earle Stanley Gardener.

Later in 2008 was the auction of The Frank Collection, which was mainly SF art, but included a number of notable SF first editions as well.

The just completed auction of the Jerry Weist collection was of the same caliber. There was some original art and pulp magazines in the collection, but the bulk of it was collectible SF/F/H first editions. The auction realized more than $1 million (though a significant fraction of that was for the artworks).

I’m going to talk about some of the more interesting items sold, and how the prices realized compared to comparable copies of the same firsts in previous years. I’ll also mention when I have a copy of the first edition discussed in my own library.

A few general observations:

Unlike previous Heritage SF Auctions, there were very few multi-volume lots of less desirable titles. I think Heritage will be selling those books individually on their weekly Internet book auctions.

Weist, like myself, settled for less than perfect copies of many difficult titles, including some worn, corner-clipped, or ex-library copies. (By contrast, the vast majority of the Ventura collection were pristine copies.)

The Weist collection was very strong in Golden Age and pre-Golden Age authors, but very weak in Hypermodern SF.

It was strong in Ray Cummings and Edgar Rice Burroughs (neither of which I collect), Isaac Asimov, John W. Campbell, Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick, Robert A. Heinlein, William Hope Hodgson (many if not all of the firsts published in his lifetime), Robert E. Howard, Curt Siodmak (more about which anon), Clark Ashton Smith, and Olaf Stapledon.

Conversely, assuming the volumes presented in the auction do constitute the cream of the crop and nothing has been held back, it was weak in Jack Vance, Stephen King, Avram Davidson, R. A. Lafferty, Gene Wolfe and (save the two Fahrenheit 451s) Ray Bradbury.

I’ve tried to do some trending for various titles here, but there’s a lot of volatility at the high of the market. A book that normally goes for $100-200 might hit $2,000 for a signed copy at auction If two deep-pocketed collectors each need it to complete their collection.

Holy Grails

To me, far and away the most interesting and desirable item was one of only five copies of Stanley G. Weinbaum’s Dawn of Flame to have the unsigned introduction by Amazing editor Ray Palmer. Weinbaum’s widow evidently objected to the introduction, which is why only five copies were so produced. Even the 245 copy Currey B state (with Lawrence Keating’s introduction replacing Palmer’s) is rare enough, and the book is widely considered the first true SF small press book. I don’t believe I’d seen a copy of the Palmer state for sale before, but I think one was sold when the Sam Moskowitz collection was auctioned off (they didn’t send me a catalog). Moreover, this particular copy once belonged to legendary collector and fan Forrest J. Ackerman, and was inscribed by him to Weist. Counting the buyer’s premium (a little shy of 20%, and which I’m going to include for all the other prices listed here), it went for $9,560.00; it wouldn’t have surprised me to see it go for twice that much.

There were some other SF collecting “holy grails” sold there:

One of 50 copies of the signed, presentation hardback state of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, which went for $8,365.00. This represents an increase over the $5,377 a copy fetched in the Yaspan auction.

One of 200 asbestos bound copies of Fahrenheit 451 graded Very Good, went for $5,975.00. This represents something of a decline; a Fine copy went $15,535 in the Ventura Collection auction, a Very Good copy in the Yaspan collection went for $8,962, and a Near Fine copy in the Frank auction went for $9,560.

To me one of the most surprising outcomes was seeing a signed copy of Philip K. Dick’s Confessions of a Crap Artist go for $5,078.75, since there’s at least one signed copy from the 90 copies originally signed by Dick available online for $1,500. (And I think there were two copies for well under $5,000 when the auction commenced…) I have one of the unsigned firsts, which goes for considerably less.

Speaking of Dick, a copy of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? went for $6,572.50, despite tape stains on the jacket folds. I thought the $9,560 fetched by a Near Fine copy in the Ventura auction was outrageous at the time, but the value seems to have held up. (I have an ex-library copy myself, and even Ex-Lib copies list online for two to four grand.)

One of only 75 sets of E. E. “Doc” Smith’s History of Civilization, the six volume signed, leatherbound Fantasy Press set (in box, but without lid) went for $5,377.50. A set with the lid went for $5,676.25 in the Yaspan auction.

Other Notable Books

From Holy Grails we move on to books that are merely Really Freaking Expensive. There are usually a few copies of these bumping around on Bookfinder.com, albeit with a comma in the price.

A signed copy of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation and Empire ($1,912) went for more than a signed (via bookplate) I, Robot ($1,553.50), probably due to some mild water damage to the latter. A Fine but price-clipped copy of I, Robot went for $2,270 in the Ventura auction, while another imperfect copy went for $1,434 in the Yaspan auction. I, Robot has become by far the hardest to find among the Gnome Press Asimovs.

A signed, Near Fine copy of Alfred Bester’s The Demolished Man went for $872.35. I have a Fine copy, but not signed.

A merely Very Good copy of Bester’s Tiger! Tiger! (the hardback first of The Stars My Destination) went for $1,015.75, which is probably about market. A Fine copy in the Ventura auction went for $1,792.

The late Jack Chalker’s inscribed copy of Hal Clement’s Cycle of Fire went for $1,015.75. The title is harder to find than most of Ballantine Books SF hardbacks of the fifties.

Bob Weinberg’s inscribed ex-library copy of Philip Jose Farmer’s Green Odyssey went for a relatively modest $334.60. Like Cycle of Fire, this is one of the most difficult Ballantine Books hardbacks to find, especially for non-ex-library copies. Despite that, a Very Good signed copy failed to sell in the Yaspan auction, while a restored ExLib copy went for $448.13 in the Ventura auction.

A Fine, signed copy of the Gollancz (first hardback) edition of William Gibson’s Neuromancer, probably the essential novel of Hypermodern Science Fiction, went for $1,553.50. This is one of the few items for which you can see a clear, unambiguous decline across auctions, as a similarly Fine, signed copy went for $2,695 in the Ventura auction, while a similarly Fine, signed copy went for $2,151 in the Yaspan auction. I have a signed Fine- copy.

A copy of Robert A. Heinlein’s Podkayne of Mars went for $985.88. I don’t think it’s quite as good as the copy I just picked up last month for $235.

A Very Good+ copy of Heinlein’s Starship Troopers went for $2,270.50. A Fine copy fetched $4,780 in the Ventura auction. I have a very nice Ex-Library copy.

A Near Fine copy of Frank Herbert’s Dune went for $4,780. A Fine- copy (a rating I thought was a bit generous, given the rubbing along the dj spine) in the Ventura auction went for $10,755. I have a very worn Ex-Library copy.

An inscribed, Near Fine copy of Daniel Keyes’ Flowers for Algernon went for $2,390. A similar copy (though with a tipped-in signature rather than an inscription) went for $1,434. My copy is a bit less fine, and unsigned.

A copy of H.P. Lovecraft’s The Outsider and Others (the first Arkham House book and a cornerstone for both SF and horror collections) went for a healthy $3,883.75.

Another rare Lovecraft item, an exceptionally nice copy of the Visionary Publishing edition of The Shadow Over Innsmouth, went for a hefty $7,170.00. That’s toward the high end for an unsigned copy (since it was published in Lovecraft’s lifetime, signed copies do exist, and can be had for less than the price of a new Lexus), but there’s a dizzying number of variant states, and I’m not sure which are considered the more desirable among high-end Lovecraft collectors.

A Very Good+ copy of Walter M. Miller’s A Canticle for Leibowitz went for $2,031.50, mainly because it has the rare orange promotional band. I have an Ex-Library copy.

An inscribed, conservatively graded Very Good copy of the Gollancz (first hardback) edition of Larry Niven’s Ringworld went for $2,390.00. In the Ventura auction, a Fine signed copy went for $5,206.25, while in the Yaspan auction, the better of two copies (not signed) went for $1,792. I have an unusually clean Ex-Lib Gollancz Ringworld, which might pass for Fine save an excised front free endpaper. (Did you know there was an unused dust jacket state for the Gollancz Ringworld? Lord knows how this guy (who I believe also owns this amazing Jack Vance collection) got a copy of it…)

A price-clipped copy of Connie Willis’ Doomsday Book went for $507.88. One of the more interesting outliers at the Ventura collection was a Fine signed copy going for an eye-popping $1,912. I have a Fine copy Connie inscribed to me after she attended Turkey City I picked up when it came out at cover price.

One of the most puzzling results of the auction was a signed first of Curt Siomdak’s Skyport was initially reported going for a stunning $8,611.17. That’s only about $8,500 more than it’s worth. But now when you go to the auction page for the item itself, it shows a far saner $101.58. I’m assuming there was some sort of glitch.

Slightly less puzzling was a signed, Near Fine copy of L. Sprague de Camp’s The Wheels of If (which has one of Hannes Bok’s most famous dust jacket illustrations) went for $717, which is a good bit more than it usually goes for; Lloyd Currey has a comparable-to-better signed copy online right now for $150. Before this I had the impression de Camp was out of fashion among collectors (and thus I have been able to pick up a number of signed copies of his work pretty cheap). I suspect this is an outlier.

Although I bid on several items, I only won one: an Ex-Library first of the UK David Bruce & Watson (first hardback) edition of Richard Matheson’s The Shrinking Man for $95.60. Fine copies go for over a grand.

My Updated Books Wanted List

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

I may have mentioned that I have a large library. I started out collecting first edition hardbacks of “hypermodern” (which in my case meant “post-Neuromancer“) science fiction (with some fantasy and horror works and authors thrown in for good measure), and once I had collected everything I wanted there, I started going after every important post-World War II SF work, toward which I’m making significant progress. Hence this list of books I’m still looking for.

By and large, I don’t buy later printings, copies without dust jackets, copies with price-clipped dust jackets (unless all copies of the true first edition were released that way), copies with facsimile dust jackets, or overly crummy copies. Most of the books I buy are in Fine/Fine condition, but that relaxes a bit the older (and pricier) books become. I have picked up Ex-Library copies in dust jacket when the better copies of the true first can’t be found under a grand. I also only buy first state bindings and dust jackets, unless there’s no priority, or the true first state is insanely rare (such as with Stanley G. Weinbaum’s Dawn of Flame).

With that in mind, I compiled a list of first editions on my want list, so here’s a significant portion of that list (omitting things available relatively cheap, or hideously expensive), listed alphabetically by author. I also put down all the Manly Wade Wellman and Jack Vance books I was looking for, since I have so many I was having a hard time keeping track of what I had and what I was still missing.

Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Arthur Baker)

Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot (Gnome Press)

J. G. Ballard’s Crash (Cape)

J. G. Ballard’s The Drowned World (Gollancz)

Alfred Bester’s Tiger! Tiger! (Sidgwick & Jackson)

~~James Blish’s A Case of Conscience (Faber & Faber)~~

Robert Bloch’s The Opener of the Way (Arkham)

Philip K. Dick’s Dr. Bloodmoney (Gregg Press)

~~Philip K. Dick’s Counter-Clock World (White Lion)~~

Philip K. Dick’s Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said (Doubleday)

~~Philip K. Dick’s A Handful of Darkness (Rich & Cowan, 1st state in blue boards stamped in silver, in first state dj (no mention of World of Chance))~~

Philip K. Dick’s The World Jones Made (Sidgwick & Jackson)

~~Philip K. Dick’s World of Chance (Rich and Cowan)~~

~~Harlan Ellison’s The Fantasies of Harlan Ellison (Gregg Press)~~

Robert A. Heinlein’s Between Planets (Scribner’s, unclipped $2.50 dj)

Robert A. Heinlein’s Beyond This Horizon (Fantasy Press)

Robert A. Heinlein’s The Door Into Summer (Doubleday)

Robert A. Heinlein’s Farmer in the Sky (Scribner’s)

Robert A. Heinlein’s Glory Road (Putnam)

Robert A. Heinlein’s Methuselah’s Children (Gnome, 1st state binding, 1st state dj)

~~Robert A. Heinlein’s The Puppet Masters (Doubleday)~~

Robert A. Heinlein’s Red Planet (Scribner’s)

Robert A. Heinlein’s Rocket Ship Galileo (Scribner’s, unclipped $2.00 dj)

~~Robert A. Heinlein’s The Star Beast (Scribner’s, unclipped $2.50 dj)~~

Robert A. Heinlein’s The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag (Gnome)

Robert A. Heinlein’s Waldo & Magic Inc. (Doubleday)

~~Robert E. Howard’s The Coming of Conan (Gnome Press)~~

~~Robert E. Howard’s The Dark Man (Arkham House)~~

~~Robert E. Howard’s Skull-Face and Others (Arkham House)~~

~~R. A. Lafferty’s Horns on Their Head (Pendragon Press HB)~~

R. A. Lafferty’s Funnyfingers & Cabrito (Pendragon Press HB)

~~Joe R. Lansdale (as Ray Slater)’s Texas Night Riders (Chivers)~~

Fritz Leiber’s Two Sought Adventure (Gnome)

Fritz Leiber’s The Secret Songs (Rupert Hart-Davis)

H. P. Lovecraft’s The Outsider and Others (Arkham House)

~~Richard Matheson’s Born of Man and Woman (Chamberline Press)~~

~~Richard Matheson’s The Shrinking Man (David Bruce and Watson)~~

~~Chad Oliver’s Another Kind (Ballantine HB)~~

~~Chad Oliver’s Shadows in the Sun (Ballantine HB)~~

Mervyn Peake’s Titus Groan (Eyre & Spottiswoode)

Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast (Eyre & Spottiswoode)

Mervyn Peake’s Titus Alone (Eyre & Spottiswoode)

~~Jack Vance’s Araminta Station (Underwood Miller)~~

~~Jack Vance’s The Deadly Isles (Bobbs-Merrill)~~

~~Jack Vance’s The Dragon Masters (Dennis Dobson)~~

~~Jack Vance’s Ecce and Old Earth (Underwood Miller)~~

~~Jack Vance’s Four Men Called John (Gollancz)~~

~~Jack Vance’s The Houses of Iszm (Underwood Miller)~~

~~Jack Vance’s The House on Lily Street (Underwood Miller)~~

~~Jack Vance’s The Eyes of the Overworld (Gregg Press)~~

~~Jack Vance’s The Last Castle (Underwood Miller)~~

~~Jack Vance’s The Many Worlds of Magnus Ridolph (Dennis Dobson)~~

~~Jack Vance’s Monsters in Orbit (Dennis Dobson)~~

~~Jack Vance’s Seventeen Virgins/A Bagful of Dreams (Underwood Miller HB)~~

~~Jack Vance’s Showboat World (Underwood Miller)~~

~~Jack Vance’s Son of the Tree (Underwood Miller)~~

~~Jack Vance’s Strange Notions/The Dark Ocean (Underwood Miller)~~

~~Jack Vance’s To Live Forever (Ballantine Books HB)~~

Jack Vance’s Vandals of the Void (Winston)

Jack Vance (as Alan Wade)’s Take My Face (Mystery House)

Jack Vance (as Peter Held)’s Isle of Peril (Mystery House)

~~Stanley G. Weinbaum’s A Martian Odyssey and Others (Fantasy Press)~~

Manly Wade Wellman’s Carolina Pirate (Washburn)

~~Manly Wade Wellman’s Clash on the Catabwa (Washburn)~~

~~Manly Wade Wellman’s The Ghost Battalion (Washburn)~~

Manly Wade Wellman’s Gray Riders (Aladdin)

Manly Wade Wellman’s Haunts of Drowning Creek (Holiday House)

Manly Wade Wellman’s Jamestown Adventure (Washburn)

Manly Wade Wellman’s Mystery at Bear Paw Gap (Washburn)

~~Manly Wade Wellman’s Napoleon of the West (Washburn)~~

Manly Wade Wellman’s The South Fork Rangers (Washburn)

Manly Wade Wellman’s The Specter of Bear Paw Gap (Washburn)

Gene Wolfe’s The Grave Secret (Portentous Press chapbook)

Gene Wolfe’s The Old Woman Whose Rolling Pin Was the Sun (Cheap Street chapbook)

~~Roger Zelazny’s Damnation Alley (Putnam)~~

If you have nice copies any of the above, and if you’re willing to sell it to me considerably cheaper than can be found on Bookfinder.com, drop me an email at lawrenceperson@gmail.com and I’ll consider it.

Tags:Book Collecting, Books, First Edition, Fritz Leiber, Jack Vance, Manly Wade Wellman, Philip K. Dick, R. A. Lafferty, Richard Matheson, Robert A. Heinlein, Robert E. Howard
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction | 3 Comments »

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Three Robert A. Heinlein First Editions

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